Legend of Zelda: Shadowed Hearts
by Eptastic Girl
Summary: Hyrule is in danger once again, but this time, it's the Heart Emblems they're after. Link must embark on a new journey, and with the assistance of a young girl and her friends, they jump in to a new world filled with secrets, danger, and they find out that there's more to this than just Heart Emblems and guardians...
1. Introduction

Ordon Village was a peaceful one. The children would laugh and play, the adults would talk, and Link would be watching them all, playing with the children. All was calm since the war between the light and twilight. That was almost half a year ago.

Only half a year, though. Danger was approaching once more.

It started when Link was with the children, watching them. That's when they heard the clatter of a horse's hooves on the ground. Many townsfolk turned their heads to the village gates, wondering who this other horse was.

Their question was answered as a chocolate brown mare with a light brown mane came about. On her back, there was a young girl. Her horse stopped by them, as she slid off. Her ginger hair was in odango style, stopping at her elbows. She was wearing a dark purple dress with tan leggings, and black boots.

"Are you Link?" The girl came over, looking at the green-clad hero.

"Yes. Who're you?" he asked.

"Lila, Li for short. This is my horse, Feather." She pointed to mare beside her.

"What brings you here into Ordon?" Ilia asked.

"Telma sent me here to say Link's assistance is needed," Lila replied.

"What happened?" Beth tilted her head.

"She never told me. She said it was urgent, though…"

"If she told you to rush here, it must be important." Link called Epona over. Turning to Lila, he nodded. She mounted her horse, and Feather was off. Epona and Link followed, through Hyrule Field and to Castle Town.

* * *

"So, just who are you?"

Link was talking to Lila as they rode through the fields. He wondered where she came from, how she got her horse, and how she knew about him.

"As I said before, my name's Lila. I live Kakoriko currently, and I often visit Castle Town to see a friend of mine. Also, I'm a messenger for Telma. I pick things up for her, or drop stuff off. I came down to her today and she told me to find you in Ordon."

"And what about Feather?"

"I raised her since she was born, and she's been my best companion ever since. I didn't always live here, though I don't know where I really came from. I just know I left my old hometown when I was really young."

Castle Town was in sight. Lila dismounted her horse, and left her close to the entrance. She pet her mane, as Feather snorted and nipped at her hair. Lila giggled at Feather's actions. Link left Epona next to Feather so they could bond with each other.

They headed down to Telma's bar, but not before Lila said hi to her friend, Sam. He gave her a pouch. Link later found out it was pouch filled with herbs used for tea, Lila saying she studied plants often, and was picking them up for Telma before she was sent off to find him.

"Telma! I'm back!" Lila called. Telma turned around and smiled at her. She gave her the pouch Sam had given her.

"Thanks, Li. Come on, you should hear this as well." They pulled up two seats while Telma poured everyone who was there some water.

"So, what's all this about?" Link asked.

"A new evil is rising," Ashei replied.

"A new evil?" Lila echoed.

"Yes. Lila, have you ever heard of the Heart Emblems?" Aaru asked.

"Yes. The Heart Emblems are Five Hearts the Goddess Amarie made for her subjects. They represent the gifts she gave us before she parted the world. Legend has it that if they were to come together, depending on the person, something good or terrible would happen," Lila explained.

"The peace in the kingdom is becoming unbalanced. Thanks to Shad's deeper exploration into the matter, we found it's the Heart Emblems being used for the wrong reason. Link, you're our only hope, now. This map can tell you where each Emblem is located, and the book tells you about the Emblem you need to find." Telma gave him a map and the book.

"Thank you, Telma." Link nodded, and got up to leave.

"Lila, why don't you go with him?" Ashei turned to the odango head girl.

"M-me? No, I'm just the messenger, you know that." At this, Link turned to Lila, who was putting a few books away.

"Well, adventuring is your thing. You've always said how you've longed to go on one." Ashei retorted. Lila fell silent when she said that, knowing it was true. Turning to Link, she gave him a book.

"Before you go, here. It's a book of herbs and plants. If you need to find any of them, the book will tell you what they look like and where to find them. It also tells you which are safe to eat, and which are poisonous."

"Lila…they won't be as easy to identify, and I don't know much about the Heart Emblems themselves."

"I don't know much about the Heart Emblems either, though…and I'm not what you call an adventurer…" She looked down, frowning.

"Link may be good at a lot of things, but plants aren't one of them. You, on the other hand, can recite every poisonous herb in the book. And you know more about the Emblems, if only a little bit. Go with him. You never know where he might need you." Telma came over.

"I don't know…" She looked down. She followed Link out, still gripping the book she was going to give him. He knew she had the heart of an adventurer. She just needed for it to come out.

"I'll be at the gate with Epona and Feather when you make up your mind, okay?" Link smiled at her.

"I'll be there." Lila nodded back, and walked in the opposite direction.

* * *

Sam looked up from the herb stall he ran with his parents. In the midst of the crowd in the marketplace, he could see that Lila was walking over to him.

"Hey, Li. What's up? Did Link leave already?" He asked.

"No…that's just the thing. He wants me to come with him. I know a lot of herbs and about the Heart Emblems, so I may be able to help him…but I don't know if I'm ready to go on an adventure." She sighed, fiddling with hair as they sat down.

"Come on, you've been out on Feather since you knew how to ride a horse. I know you're ready for one." He took out a necklace, shaped like a heart, and placed it around her neck.

"What is this?" She asked.

"It's a locket. On the left, it's a picture of us when you and I first met, and on the right, it's a pretty recent picture of us and Feather." She looked at them, smiling.

"If you ever start to think negative, just look at the pictures, and know I'm always there for you, whether we're with each other or not." Lila, out of happiness, hugged him. Sam was surprised, but hugged her back anyways. He'd always be cheering for her on whatever she did.

"Thank you, Sam. I'll do it, and I promise you I'll never let you all down." She slid the book she had taken from Telma's bar into her bag.

"See you, Li." Sam waved.

"See you, Sam." She hugged him one last time, and left for her adventure with the greatest hero of all time in Hyrule, at least, in her eyes.

* * *

_Hey everyone, I am now doing my first ever Legend of Zelda story, so without further ado, let me give you a few details;_

_This idea came to me from watching My Little Pony. Yes, you read it right. My Little Pony. *Slips on shades*_

_Anyways, this takes place about six-seven months after the events of Twilight Princess. This story will incorporate elements from the games up to date.  
_

_Lila: Ginger hair in odango style, and green eyes. Usually has a dark purple dress, with tan leggings and black boots. Don't worry, she has a pretty cool role in this story. _

_Amarie is a pun on the word Amare, Latin for love. Hope you Zelda fans enjoy this!_

_Ella~_


	2. The Journey Begins

_Hi, ClarkyGirl! Thanks for drawing my horse, again, you're awesome! *Hugs* I'm updating, at long last! You don't have to wait any longer!_

_Hi Madz and Rain! *Hugs both of them* Yes, I'm back from the seemingly dead, here to give you awesome people the second chapter!_

_Here we go!_

* * *

Link watched Epona and Feather. The two mares seemed to get along just fine. Feather got up, and whinnied, seeing her mistress. She galloped over, and gave an affectionate nuzzle to her hair, ruffling it in greeting.

"Aw, I'm happy to see you too, girl!" She hugged her neck. Link turned to them.

"Well, have you made up your mind?" He asked.

"I'm ready." Lila swung her legs over Feather's back, and was ready.

"Okay, on the map…it says we should be heading towards an old town, far west of here. It's said that they have the most knowledge on the Heart Emblems." Link pointed out in the distance. Epona and Feather were impatient to go, although they were trying not to show it.

"If we leave now, we should make it there before sunset. Besides, we don't want to keep Epona and Feather waiting." Lila giggled again, and started Feather forwards.

"So, how long have you been wanting to go on an adventure?" Link asked.

"Since I heard about yours, to tell you the truth. I always thought adventures filled with danger and a new worlds were made up. But ever since I heard about yours…I knew they were true." Lila looked up at the sun, which was high in the sky.

"Why didn't you just go on your own?"

"I guess I thought I wasn't ready just yet. I've never left Hyrule, and for all we know, we could be going elsewhere other than Hyrule, to other lands. Think of it, Link. A world we don't even know about."

Feather gave a sudden kick, getting Lila's attention. There were enemies ahead of them, bokoblins. Link slashed at them, seeing as Lila had no way of defending herself without Feather trampling the bokoblins. When all of them were gone, Lila laughed in embarrassment.

"I'm going to have to get a weapon of my own pretty soon…"

"We'll find something." Link had no problem with that.

It was close to sunset, and the town was just in sight. It was a fairly small town, with a few houses, a shop, and an Inn. There was only one person outside, a man. Lila waved her hands to flag him down.

"Um, excuse us!" She seemed to get his attention, but he looked around confused, as if he didn't know where she was.

"Over here!" Link helped her. He finally saw them, and walked over as they neared.

"What brings you to Pendalum Village?" he asked.

"We were wondering if you knew anything about the Heart Emblems." Link slid off Epona's back. This caught the man's attention, as he seemed surprised.

"Yes, I've heard of them, and know of them. This town is home to knowledge of them. But, who are you?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"Well, I'm Lila, and this is my horse, Feather." She introduced herself first.

"I'm Link. The other horse is mine, Epona." He followed.

"I am Cyrus, the elder of this village and the owner of the Inn. Come, I shall tell you what I know." He beckoned them to follow him. Feather and Epona walked beside them. There was a stable, and as they left their horses there, Link gave each of them an apple.

"I hope you don't mind, Li." He turned to her as she put something her pouch.

"Not at all." She shook her head. The walked into the Inn, and sat with Cyrus.

"Long ago, when Amarie parted the world, she left us the heart Emblems as a reminder of her love. Only a hero who can pass all of Amarie's test can collect them, should evil ever try to take advantage of them. You both know well and true of this, am I correct?" He asked.

"Yes." They replied simutaniously.

"Though, there is a twist. For the chosen hero to collect the Emblems, they must be able to use the Mirror of Hearts. It can show you where a Heart Emblem is. The Mirror of Hearts was once Amarie's. She looked into it, and could see the whole world as she pleased. There is a sanctuary I know of that has the mirror, but it is very dangerous, and risky." Cyrus waited for them to process the information.

"Where would this sanctuary be?" Lila asked. She set out their map.

"From here, it's far north." Cyrus marked the sanctuary on it. She put it back in her pouch.

"It's getting late, now. Stay here for the night, and in the morning, you can set out if you wish." With that, he walked off.

"Well, what should we do?" She turned to Link.

"How about we look around town?" He suggested.

"Sounds smart." They walked outside, and looked around. Lila noted the house on the left seemed a bit creepy. It sent shivers down her spine just thinking about who, or what, could be in there. It seemed like everyone was used to it, though, so she ignored her fear and worries.

"Hey, look at the shop over there." Link pointed. She looked to where he was pointing. Sure enough, there was a shop. They went inside of it, and looked around.

Lila was looking at a shield, when something else caught her eye. Putting the shield down, she picked the other thing up. It had a grey handle. On one end of the handle, there was a white orb, and from it was a long black strand. On the end of the strand there was a yellow crescent, similar to a crescent moon.

"That would be a whip, my dear."

Gasping, she turned to see a man with black hair. He was probably the shopkeeper. He startled her out of her thoughts. He chuckled at her surprised look.

"Would you like to test it out?"

She nodded, smiling a bit. He took her outside, and set up a few targets. Link came outside to watch. Lila stood in the middle of the ring of targets, waiting for instructions.

"With a whip, you can reach any target within range. The crest on the end will hit what you're reaching at, but be careful not to let the handle go. See if you can destroy that target." He pointed to the one on her left. She gripped the handle, and lashed at the target. It was destroyed in one hit.

"Excellent! Now, if you're surrounded, you can spin around and the whip will hit what's around you. See if you can destroy the rest of them." He stood away, as to not get hit. Lila twirled around, and in one swift movement, every target was down.

"Great job! As well as destroy things, you can pull things off, and if you have the patience for it, you can have it grip onto something so you can swing across large gaps!"

"How much is it?" Lila asked.

"Well, usually, I sell it for 100 rupees but since you've done so well, I'll give it you for 70," He said. She fished out four red rupees and gave it to him. He gave her back two blue ones. She dropped one of them into the tip jar.

"Good-bye! Come back soon!" The shopkeeper waved at them as they left.

* * *

As soon as the sun rose the next morning, Lila was awake, ready to go. She was in the stable, brushing Feather and Epona's manes, and humming to herself. Lila rather liked horses, and felt free when riding on one.

She shook away those thoughts, though. Today would be her first official day off into the great unknown, and she had to be prepared for anything. Her bag was ready, and her whip was secured on her belt. Feather snorted, and then tilted her head, as if she was asking her mistress what was wrong.

"Oh, Feather, it's nothing. I'm just worried, that's all," Lila answered, putting the brush away. Feather nuzzled her, trying to comfort her. She hugged her neck.

"You're already up?" Link walked into the stable, smiling.

"I couldn't sleep any longer." She giggled.

"Well, if we want to get there by the time the moon rises, we should leave now." Link let Epona out.

"Well, here we go, charging into danger." She laughed nervously as she mounted Feather. He noticed her worry, and gently touched her hand as she rode up next to him.

"Hey, don't worry. You'll be fine, and seeing how well you can use a whip, you'll be someone enemies won't want to mess with."

She smiled at his kind words, and sat up a bit straighter. He was right; she would be fine, and he'd help her when she needed it, just like she would do the same for him. She looked at the map, and pointed north-east of them.

"That's where the Sanctuary would be." Link looked out to where she was pointing. The sun was just about rising.

"Let's move out." He directed Epona in the direction they were going, and they galloped off. Feather and Lila followed behind them. Her hair flew in the wind as they ran. She looked around, trying to get to know their surroundings.

Up ahead, Link spotted a few keese. Lila took her whip out, and lashed out at two of them. They fell, and exploded into monster ash. A grin spread across her face as Link shot another down with his bow and arrows. They were duo an enemy wouldn't dare challenge to a battle.

* * *

The sun had almost reached the highest point in the sky it could. Lila looked for their next direction on the map. Link had gone to fill two canteens of water. They were at a small resting point, near a river. Feather and Epona were drinking from the river and talking in their horse language, resting as the other two were marking the way to the sanctuary.

"If we go west of here, we'll be there by the time the sun starts to set." Lila put the map back into her bag.

"Anything on the sanctuary itself?" Link asked. Lila opened the book on the Heart Emblems, and looked up the sanctuary where the Mirror of Hearts rested.

"_Cordia Sanctuary was built in Amarie's honor, and it's where the Mirror of Hearts now lies. There are few who have ever dared to enter, for the sanctuary is dangerous, and filled with monsters. Many who have entered never came back successful, or even worse, they never came back at all. The hero to go through this trial is chosen through a series of tests. If one can get through it, then they are worthy of holding the Mirror of Hearts._" She read what the book said. While Link and Lila were talking, Epona and Feather were engaged in their own conversation.

"(So, how long have you known Lila?)" Epona asked.

"(Since she was five, when I was just a filly. She's taken care of me, and in return, I've served as her horse and companion.)" Feather answered. She had grown to like Epona quickly, finding her friendly and interesting.

"(What did she mean by only knowing she left her hometown when she was five, though?)" The other mare was curious as to why Lila had said that earlier yesterday.

"(I don't know much about that. Her only friends who left with her and her family were Sam and Merali.)" Upon closer inspection, Epona noticed Feather's mane and tail went from light brown into white, not just light brown. Though, it was hard to tell from a distance.

"Feather, Epona, come on!" Lila called to the two horses. Feather ruffled her hair, getting her to laugh. Lila climbed onto Feather's back, nodding to Link.

"Let's go." He started Epona off. As they rode through the fields, they came across a wide stream in front of them, to deep to just walk through.

"How do we get across?" Lila asked.

"We jump across." Link replied, getting Epona ready.

"Jump? But…it's a bit of a jump…" She looked back to it, unsure. He grinned at her.

"Watch." Epona took it as the signal to go, and ran up to the stream, building up a bit of speed. Just before she reached it, she jumped over it, and landed safely on the other side. Lila, to say the least was amazed.

"Alright, here we go…" Lila backed Feather up a little ways.

"Ready, Feather?" She asked. Feather snorted; she was positive she was ready.

Lila snapped the reigns, giving her horse the signal to run. Feather ran up to the stream, and leaped off of the ground. They flew through the air, and landed next to Epona and Link. Lila, unable to help herself, squealed and hugged Feather's neck. That was one of their widest jumps ever. Feather nuzzled Lila's head, proud of herself. Link watched them, smiling. Epona snorted, and whinnied her approval at their jumping skills.

"Let's go! I'm sure the sanctuary is close by here, I'm positive!" Lila snapped Feather's reigns again, and they ran off, leaving Epona and Link to follow them.

* * *

"Over there!"

Lila pointed ahead to a entrance to a temple. Cordia Sanctuary was in front of them. They looked up at it, dismounting their horses. It was laced with ivy and vines, and there were a few flowers and other plants around it. The temple itself was stone. With the sun near setting, it was a sight to behold. Lila took out her herb book, looking for what herbs they could find there.

"Here, we can find fever-few, burdock root, comfrey, and aloe " She closed the book and put it away. Lila squeaked when a rat ran by. Yeah, burdock root would be their best friend, here, and so would aloe. She placed a hand on her whip, ready to use it for anything.

"I'll go in first; you follow me when I give you the signal." Link got his sword and shield ready. He walked in first, and down the steps. Lila waited a few minutes, before he called back up to her.

"It's okay, nothing's in here." Lila turned to Feather and Epona, and nodded to them, a silent message to say they would be back soon. Without another word, she walked down after him, and disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

Little did they know, a figure on a horse was watching them, frowning. Her icy blue eyes glinted with anger and evilness, and she dismounted her steed.

"The two of them…they think they're smart enough to get through to the Mirror of Hearts…though, I do commend them for daring to brave the sanctuary…" She pet her horse, grinning with an evil only a witch could have.

"Be a good boy, and get rid of the two mares. I'd like to battle this hero and his little friend for my own. They will see that I am the Mistress of the Shadowed Heart."

And just like that, she disappeared in a veil of mist.

* * *

_Cliffhanger, guys ;)_

_CLARKYGIRL NO SPOILING ANYTHING! XD_

_*Zant waves at everyone* Yes, Zant will be joining me from time to time. Cordia is a play on the word Corda, Latin for heart. _

_Animals will be able to talk "(Like this)" so you don't get confused between a human and an animal speaking._

_Anyways, yes! Lila's main weapon is a whip. She can do really awesome things with it, plus she'll be kicking some monster tail with it. *She and Zant slip on shades*_

_And, I've just been rambling again, haven't I? Anyways, let me stop wasting your time. Review, favorite, and you'll get to play my favorite game… *Lifts Ganon, tied up* Whack Ganon with a stick! _

_Ella and Zant, OUT!_


	3. Cordia Sanctuary

_*Zant waves at everyone as Ella comes*_

_Hey, everybody, it Eptastic Girl, here with more Legend of Zelda: Shadowed Hearts! Now, to answer to the reviews!_

**ClarkyGirl: **_Lila in an Indiana Jones hat? I'd have to look into that one. Anyways, I can't go horse back riding; I'm in the city. But, I forgot I could ask my sister! *Gets bricked. She throws it back at the person who bricked her* Anyways, glad you like this!_

**Blood-of-Silver: **_I'm glad you like Lila! Because her past is really cloudy and blurry to her, I think I will do that, so thank you for the suggestion! *Gives a cookie* _

**Conjuring Rain: **_RAIN! *Hugs* Yay, you saw this chapter! Hope you like it as the story progresses!_

**The Long Forgotten Phoenix: **_Hi, Snow! Glad you like the story so far!_

_Anyways, in this chapter, Lila will get to kick some monster tail with her awesometastic whip, the fearless duo will go through a series of tests, Feather and Epona will meet a new challenge…_

_*Charges after ClarkyGirl* Wait for me! *Has frying pan*_

* * *

Lila looked around them. Despite what she thought, Cordia Sanctuary was quite beautiful. The room they were currently in was lined with pillars in red and white, and cream colored walls with a light pink lining at the top and bottom. On the ceiling, there were natural lights coming from light plants that were hanging from vines that grew up there, filling the room with a dim yet powerful light. That didn't mean that it wasn't trap filled and dangerous, though.

"Hey, there's a stone tab here…I can't make out what it says…" Link was brushing the dirt from stone tab resting on a pedestal. Lila came over, taking her book out to see if it would be of any assistance.

"_In the first of the three rooms in the sanctuary, there is a stone tab with ancient writing. The letters translate into this: 'Remember to follow the light to the end, but the darkness can also be your friend'._" She tilted her head, confused by the words of the book.

"Remember to follow the light to the end…but the darkness can also be your friend…" Link repeated the words. Lila looked back up at the ceiling. Did the light plants have something to do with this?

"Well, let's see…it said to follow the light to the end, but if we followed them, it only leads to a dead end." Lila pointed to the wall they led to. She put the book away, and sat down. She picked at her locket as she did so, looking at the picture of her, Sam, and Feather.

"_If the lights go out, a path will illuminate for us in the dark!" _

She recognized the voice. That was Sam when she, Merali, and himself had gotten lost in the woods. Sam had hit all the lights with rocks and took them out, giving them a path to follow with a few lights that came back on. She took her whip out, and lashed at them, one by one taking the lights out. This was better than nothing, and worth a shot.

"Li? What're you doing?" Link asked. She took out the last light, shrouding them in complete darkness. Suddenly, a few lights came back on, but in a line, and these lights were green. They led to the same wall, except that a doorway had appeared.

"Well…what're we waiting for?" She asked, running on ahead. Link, even if he was curious as to how she figured that out, shook his head and followed her through.

* * *

The next room was almost the same as the last one, but this time there were a few keese and bokoblins. The layout had different colored tiles, blue and white. There was another stone tablet on a pedestal on the far side of the room. Lila and Link hid so no enemies would see them.

"You get the bokoblins; I have the keese," Link whispered. Lila nodded as he took his slingshot out. He struck one of keese down. It exploded in a flash of black smoke. Lila ran to the middle of the room as the three bokoblins surrounded her. She spun around and left a deep wound in each of them as they fainted.

"Haven't they learned not to attack a girl?" She giggled as the last one exploded. She may be sweet and angelic, but she still had her devilish ways. Taking her book out, she went up to the pedestal and dusted it off.

"_In the second room, the stone will say; 'Keep in mind that this message is clear. Follow the blue, then the white, and the message will appear'._"

"Follow the blue, then the white?" She looked around. There were plenty of blue and white things in the room, and the fact the tiles were blue against white and white against blue didn't help.

Link looked down on the floor, and noticed Lila was standing on a blue tile, thinking. He looked up at a higher platform. That gave him an idea. If the two of them stood on each other, one of them could probably just get up there and see the whole room from a bird's eye-view.

"Li, get on my shoulders."

"What?" She looked at him.

"Just trust me, now come on!" He got down for her. She walked over, and stood on his shoulders. As he rose up, she noticed the platform, and climbed up. She now had a whole view from the top of the room.

"What now?" She asked.

"Look at the blue tiles; see what you can find." He replied. She looked down at the blue tiles.

"Okay…I can make out the word 'Go'…I can see 'to' and 'the'…and now I think that's the word 'left'." She relayed to him the words she saw.

"Now look at the white tiles."

"Hmm…I can see 'Then'…the word 'go' is repeated…and 'down'." He wrote down what she saw. She kept looking, and then smiled.

"Oh! Go to the left, then go down!" She pieced two and two together at last. He helped her down as they headed in the direction told to them, and sure enough, there was a staircase to a dark tunnel. As they walked down the tunnel, they heard a few squeaks.

"What was that?" Link asked. Lila say something gray run by her, eyes widening when she heard a loud screech.

"Rats! Run for it!" She pulled him away as a pack of the rodents chased them. Lila prayed to the goddesses that there was some burdock root around in case either of them got bitten. A few rats snapped at her heels. She kicked them away.

"There!" Link pointed ahead of them. The exit was right in front of them. The two of them ran through it into the next room. Link saw a few bomb plants, and tossed a bomb to warn them. They squealed and ran off in fear of being blown to smithereens.

"And good riddance!" She yelled after them, panting. She checked herself form bite marks and saw none, nor did she feel anything.

"What in Farore's name bought that on?" Link asked.

"That was a rat pack. They attack you if they feel you may threaten them." Lila shook her head, brushing her dress off. She heard a squeak, as if in pain. Turning around, and saw a cinnamon colored mouse. He had a bite mark on his back.

"Oh, the poor thing!" She picked him up, and cradled him in her hands. He had blood trickling down his back, and she nearly panicked.

"_Okay, Li. You know what to do." _Lila calmed herself.

"_Burdock root; used to clean a rat bite and keep it from getting infected or swollen." _She recited the herb in her mind, and got up, running around. There was a stalk of it in a pot. She grinned; luck was on her side.

"_Aleo; used to clean wounds and disinfect them." _She found a little bit of aloe, and took it as well.

She ran back, and mashed the herbs up with Link's shield pressing down on it repeatedly in a leaf. She wrapped the leaf with the herb combination around the mouse's back, and tied it like a bandage. The mouse opened his vivid blue eyes, and looked up at her.

"Hey there, little guy. Are you okay now?" He gave a weak reply, tired, but he felt better. She sighed in relief. He was safe, and no one could hurt him, now.

"What's your name?" Lila asked. He shook his head. He didn't have one.

"Oh…well, I guess I'll just call you Mouser for now." She scratched his head gently, careful not to hurt him.

"Where's his family, though?" Link looked around. Mouser's ears flattened, and he squeaked in sadness.

"Aw, you can't find yours? You can travel with us, little guy." Lila nuzzled him. Mouser squeaked his thanks. Lila put him in the pocket of her bag, where he could rest. He poked his head out and looked around. Link and Lila walked over to the pedestal, when Link suddenly stopped.

"Wait, Li…there's something wrong."

"What is it?"

"The tablet's missing."

* * *

Feather and Epona had been sitting outside, waiting for their master, and mistress in Feather's case, return. Epona lifted her head. She heard another horse approaching.

"(Did you hear that?)" She turned to Feather.

"(The sound of another's horse? I did.)" Feather nodded. They were correct. A reddish stallion with a black mane and icy blue eyes galloped over to them. They got up, ready for a battle if it was needed.

"(My, what are two lovely ladies such as yourselves doing alone?)" He asked. Feather turned her head away, unfazed by his flirtatious manner.

"(Had you not noticed, we are waiting for her master and my mistress.)" Feather gestured to her and Epona. The stallion snorted, and pranced around them.

"(Oh, I'm positive the two of them won't come back successful, or even come back at all.)"

"(And what makes you so sure?)" Epona glared.

"(My mistress is much more powerful than the two of them combined.)" He smirked at them, though he was still attempting to wow them.

"(Alright, just who are you?)" Feather stepped up a little bit.

"(I am the proud horse of the Mistress of the Shadowed Heart, Umbro. And who might you be?)" He grinned.

"(I'm the steed of the hero of Hyrule, Epona.)" Epona snorted.

"(And I'm the companion of a young adventurer, Feather.)" Feather followed.

"(Then, if I heard correctly, you are the strongest and fastest mares in all of Hyrule.)" Umbro pranced in a circle again.

"(Yes, you would be correct.)" Epona narrowed her eyes. What did he have planned?

"(Well then, I challenge both of you to a race. Of course, I shall win.)" Umbro boasted. Epona and Feather looked at each other, sharing a nod. They were not about to let themselves get stood up by Umbro.

"(If it's a race you want, it's a race you'll get.)" Feather walked a little ways over to a gap between two rocks, and drew a line with her hoof.

"(This will be our starting line and our finish line. We will run from here, jump over the river, and make a complete circle. The first one back will be named the winners.)" Feather explained the rules, saying winners when either she or Epona won, being on the same side as each other.

"(And no cheating.)" Epona glared at Umbro. He bowed his head.

"(Why would I cheat when I have the pleasure of having a race against two very beautiful ladies?)" Feather rolled her eyes; she was getting tired of his flirtatious ways. They lined up at the starting line.

"(On your marks…get set…go!)" Epona called, and they were off.

The three were neck-and-neck as they made the first turn they had to make. Feather started to pull ahead; the wind was in her favor and gave her a chance to gain a burst of speed. Regardless if she or Epona won, the results would be the same. It would be different, and embarrassing, if Umbro won against them.

Umbro snorted as Feather got ahead of them; she lived up to her name as she rode with the wind. As they came up to the river, Epona got ahead of both of them, jumping over gracefully. Feather waited until she had enough momentum, and jumped over. Umbro himself had waited for the right moment to jump over, landing right after Feather and joining the three in the race to the finish line.

They were all equal, but the race was over when Epona crossed the finish line first. Feather and Umbro were a tie, but it made no difference. Epona and Feather were the winners, fair and square.

Umbro snorted in anger, but he had to admit; the two of them were amazing, Feather with her speed and Epona with her jumping skills. He knew his mistress would want him to fight them, but he just couldn't after the race they just shared.

"(I must say, you two are no pushovers. Though, it's time for me to head off on my own. Until me meet again!)" He bowed his head, and galloped off.

"(You know, he may have been a flirt, but he wasn't that bad of a racer.)" Epona said as he disappeared into the horizon. Feather nodded, agreeing with her friend.

"(He wasn't; he certainly wasn't.)"

* * *

"What do you mean, the tablet's missing?"

Lila looked on the pedestal. Sure enough, the tablet wasn't in it's respective place. She took out her book, and looked for the page on the third room they had to go through.

"_The third and final room before the Mirror of Hearts is the toughest trial; many don't come back alive. The trial is a maze, but there is no pedestal. Instead, one must memorize the shapes on the wall in their exact order; the moon, the sun, the star, and the cloud. Only then will the secret of the maze be revealed._" She read aloud to them.

Link looked over at the signs; the moon was first, then the sun, then the cloud, and finally, the star. He wondered what it meant as he memorized the order. Lila looked down the long hall that led them into their final trial. Mouser squeaked, pointing ahead; he wanted to go forwards with them.

"I'll go in first." She volunteered, and without another word, they walked down the long dark cavern, knowing that in the end, they'd be at the Mirror of Hearts.

* * *

_I take WAY to long to write these things. Now, to translate the Latin words used;_

_Umbro is a play on the word Umbra, Latin for darkness or shadow._

_Anyways, I have decided I'll be updating this monthly, or at least try to. With that, I think there is nothing more to say or do here. See you guys later!_

_*Runs off with Lila and Zant to chase after Ganon*_


	4. The Mirror of Hearts

_Hey guys, I'm updating this again! *Looks at reviews, and smiles* Time to reply to ya'll!_

**ClarkyGirl:** _Yup, monthly! XD And yeah, Umbro got owned, and so did those trials! *Watches Link and Lila charge into danger* Leaping before they think! Yup, that sounds JUST like them! And, we learn something new everyday! _

**Blood-of-Silver:** _I know, my updates are far apart because they're monthly. Well, here ya go!_

**Conjuring Rain:** _Thanks! I tried my best with Lila~ Glad you like this so far, though!_

**Madlink007: **_Thanks for the advice!_

_Well, here you guys go! In this chapter, we FINALLY meet the villain of this story, and uncover more secrets..._

* * *

Lila walked down the dark hallway, shivers going down her spine. Honestly, she was scared of what may happen. Something might jump out and attack them. It was dark enough for a sneak attack, but Link said the hallways had no real hidden spots in them; it was unlikely they'd be ambushed. Mouser stayed in her bag, looking around for any sign that might say they were close to the mirror.

"Link, do you see any of the shapes?" Lila asked, hugging the wall so she wouldn't trip.

"No, not yet," he answered. They came to a halt. There was a fork in the road, and a riddle.

"_It may be dark, but look towards the light._" She read. They thought of the first trial they went through. Lila had turned out all the lights, and made a path for them to follow. There were more hanging lights above them. She took out her whip, and lashed out each light, turning them out. After doing so, a few more lights came on, leading down the right path, literally.

They walked down the path, keeping a look out for the symbol they needed. They found another fork in the road, but this time with no riddle to read, and it was into three separate paths. Mouser jumped down, and made an outline that looked like and 'L'. He outlined out the rest of the letters on the floor, so Lila could write them down. She ended up with the word 'Left'. Mouser squeaked in pride, and allowed Lila to pick him up.

"Good job, Mouser." She scratched his head, smiling, and put him in her bag's pocket. Link led them down the rest of the way, though until then, it was quiet.

Too quiet.

"So, Li. You never did tell me much about Sam or Merali." Link decided to start a conversation with her.

"Oh. Sam and Merali are my best friends from childhood. We're like siblings. Merali stays with me in Kakoriko, while Sam and his family work in Castle Town with the stand in the market place. Sometimes, we act as street performers, playing instruments just for entertaining everyone. It's Merali, though, who takes the stage with her harp. It's perfect for her."

"I'd like to meet her."

"She's sweet, and sometimes we call her the Melody of the Forest. She'd never hurt another living soul, either."

"What about Sam?"

"Sam's our violin player. He's been with us since the first days we formed our trio. Usually, he's the one who pulls us into a performance when we come and visit."

Link smiled. Lila and her friends seemed like an adventurous and joyful bunch. There was a faint glow at the end of the tunnel. They all looked at each other, and nodded, the same thought in their minds.

"To a new adventure we go!" Lila called out.

"To danger and trouble!" Link nodded. Mouser squeaked his agreement.

They walked into the final room. It was red and gold, and there were pots along the wall. It was vacant, and suddenly, the entrance behind them closed off. The exit was closed off as well. Suddenly, they heard the snapping of fingers and laughter.

"So, you've finally made it."

Link unsheathed his sword. Lila took out her whip, glaring around.

"Feisty, aren't we?" The voice asked. Mist appeared, and once it dispersed, a woman was standing there. She had a red leotard and a skirt with a white band at the waist, layered in red, orange, and white. A cross pattern of red ribbon went from her knees all the way down to her red heels. Her brown hair was in a ponytail, and she had a tiara with a red heart in the middle of it. Her hands were hidden with white arm length gloves. She had a red cape over her as well, to keep the cold from getting to her. She opened her eyes, and they were a piercing, icy blue.

"Who are you?" Link asked.

"Since you asked so kindly, I will tell. I am the Mistress of the Shadowed Heart, Omasa. And I presume you're one they talk about. Link, the legendary hero of Hyrule." Omasa purred, her heels clicking against the floor as she walked. Her eyes landed on Lila, and she stopped.

"I knew you'd all return one day," she muttered. Lila blinked, surprised for a moment.

"But enough of this. You're interfering with my plans to plunge the world into darkness, with no love, happiness, joy, or those pesky guardians to stop me." Omasa snapped her fingers, and summoned two lances.

"Get real! You'll never succeed!" Lila snapped. Suddenly, a lance came flying at her. She stepped to the side, and grabbed it with her whip. In one movement, she twirled around and sent it flying back at Omasa. The red-clad woman jumped back and stopped it with her powers.

"We can give you a fight if that's what you want," Link growled. Omasa only grinned.

"Bring it."

Lila snapped her whip, and watched as Omasa sent her lances at them. She grabbed one with her whip, and sent it back, just like before. The other missed her completely, instead going towards Link. He moved out of the way. Omasa took one of her lances in hand, the other disappearing. She used it like a sword against them. Link had the greater advantaged, having a sword of his own. They clashed against each other, Lila having to deal with a few monsters that had ran in. She looked behind her to see how well Link was holding up, but instead was met with the sight of Omasa about to stab him, his shield and sword knocked out of his hands.

Defeating the last moblin, she used her whip to pull Omasa's hand back, giving Link the opportunity to move out of the way. Lila pulled Omasa back with a sudden tug, causing her to fall backwards and hit the floor with a thud. She pulled her whip away. Link had gotten his weapons back from the ground, and was up, ready to fight again. Omasa got back to her feet, smirking.

"Looks like this battle is about to get a bit sparky," she purred, and her hands started to glow with electricity. Two electrical orbs were formed, and she aimed them at the two heroes.

Lila moved to the side, dodging the one that was speeding at her. Link, on the other hands, bashed the one coming at him back towards Omasa. She wasn't expecting it, and was electrocuted. Lila, after seeing what he did, smiled; now they had a way of using her powers against her.

As soon as Omasa recovered, four more electrical orbs were around her. She shot them in different directions, trying to confuse the two of them. Lila and Link bashed two of them back, dodging the first one. Lila's missed, but Link's was right on target. This time, though, the villainess saw it coming and blocked, sending it back at Link. They went back and forth, neither giving up just yet. Lila was powerless, seeing as Omasa could send the sphere towards her if she dared tried to attack, but Mouser came out of her bag's pocket, squeaking; he wanted to help.

"Okay, Mouser; go distract her!" She let him down. Mouser ran across the floor to Omasa, and bit her leg, hard. She stopped, and as soon she did, the sphere came at her. Mouser jumped off and out of the way, smiling at his work as she was electrocuted for a second time. Lila picked him back up, and put him back in the safety of her bag.

"You…you little brats!" Omasa shrieked, falling to the ground in pain.

"Give up, yet?" Lila asked. Omasa looked up at them.

"You have proven your strength to me…for now. Next time, it won't be so easy."

And just like that, she disappeared in a shadowed mist, leaving her words hanging over them. They heard a door open up on the other side of the room. Whatever spell was over the room was lifted; they could continue their journey.

"Come on; I think we're close." Link began walking towards the door, Lila following along happily. They were finally going to find the Mirror of Hearts.

* * *

The next room they entered was a breathtaking scene. On either side of the little pathway before them, there were little red flowers, as if it were a garden. At the end of the pathway, there was a pedestal with the same shapes they saw before they entered the maze.

"Link, do you remember the order those shapes were in before?" Lila asked.

"Yeah." He rearranged the sun, the star, and the moon shapes; the cloud was in it's place already.

"Moon, sun, cloud, and star…" Lila mumbled. The four shapes glowed as they were put in their correct order. A column of light came down from the ceiling, and hit the pedestal. It was a majestic sight to behold as a golden mirror materialized onto the pedestal from the light. Link walked to the pedestal, Lila following him.

"We found it at last." Lila breathed, smiling.

"We have." Link picked up the mirror, but it materialized from his hands, and back onto the pedestal.

"Huh?" They said in unison, confused. He tried again, and the same thing happened. Lila tried to look it up in her book, but there was no entry on it.

"What could be wrong?" Lila frowned; had they come all this way for nothing?

Mouser jumped out, pointing to Lila, and pointing to the mirror. It took her a few moments to realize what he was trying to say, but once she did, she completely disagreed.

"What? I…I'm the one to wield the mirror? But Link's the true hero here, not me." She shook her head, backing up.

"Lila, he may be right. You did lead us through the sanctuary; you should be the one to wield it." Link agreed with Mouser. Without her, they would never have even gotten through the first room, or he would have died had she not stopped Omasa from stabbing him.

"Alright, then…" Lila nodded, and closed her eyes.

"_Please…I know I'm not a hero, but my friends and I must save Hyrule, and the lands beyond it…" _She pleaded quietly to the goddesses, hoping they could hear her. Her hand gripped the handle of the mirror, and she picked it up. She felt something go through her, like magic. A minute of silence passed.

The mirror didn't leave her grip.

She opened her eyes, and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She looked up at the wall where the shapes had been sitting. There was writing on the wall now, and she slowly started to recite it for them.

"_Years ago, before the darkness had even touched Cordia Sanctuary, I created the four trials for a hero to go through, to take the Mirror of Hearts in their hands, and to save the world I so dearly loved. I have given each guardian of the Heart Emblems a place to rest. When the five guardians are united again, I will combine my power with them to lock away the darkness once more, so the world I love will never be harmed. Take this mirror in your hands, and set forth into a land unknown, but know that I will aid you in saving your land._"

The writing, having served its purpose, disappeared. She took off the locket on her neck, and looked at the picture of she and her friends. Then, she looked back up at Link and Mouser. Lila put the mirror into her bag, where it would be safe and out of harms way.

"Let's go, guys; we have a world to save."

* * *

Feather and Epona were resting when they saw the two coming back. Overcome with joy at the fact the two were well and alive, they pranced around the two of them, happy. Lila hugged Feather's neck, and Link scratched Epona behind her ear.

"We missed you guys, too!" She giggled, and was about to mount Feather's back, when Mouser squeaked, getting their attention.

"I almost forgot! Feather, Epona, this is Mouser. We found him in Cordia Sancuary, and helped us through the trials." Lila held the cinnamon colored mouse in her palm. He squeaked his greeting to the two mares. Epona nuzzled him gently; she returned the greeting. Feather licked his face, giving a whinny of joy.

"Alright, then. Where to now, Link?" Lila turned to him.

"Hmm…well, we should head back to either Pendalum Vilage to let Cyrus know we're back with the mirror, and then head to Castle Town," he suggested.

"Good idea; he'll want to know how it went." Lila gave Feather the signal to move forward as Epona trotted along. As the two of them conversed over where the first emblem may be, Feather, Epona, and Mouser were having their own conversation.

"(So, just who are you?)" Epona asked the mouse.

"(My name…well, Lila gave it to me, but it's Mouser. I used to live in Cordia Sanctuary, but a pack of rats drove my pack and I out. I don't know where the rest of my pack is, but I went to find them when I was attacked by those rats. Lila and Link saved me from possible death, and from there, I was invited to travel with them.)" Mouser explained his story to them.

"(But what about you two? Who are you?)" He focused on them this time.

"(Well, I'm Epona, Link's horse. We're both from Ordon village, and he's truly a hero. I'm sure you've heard of his travels, Mouser.)" Epona explained to him.

"(I have; some of my pack members traveled.)" Mouser nodded.

"(I'm Feather, Lila's horse. I've been with her since the beginning, but we're not actually from Hyrule's main land.)" Feather spoke as he got himself comfy on her head.

"(You might want to hold on tightly; we're about to break into a run.)" Epona warned him as Link and Lila stopped them.

Lila dug her heels gently but firmly into Feather's sides, and she was off. Mouser gasped, and held on tightly so he wouldn't fall off. They galloped through the fields, free as birds. Mouser looked on in awe at the outside world. He had never seen a more beautiful sight, being that he never left Cordia Sanctuary.

They finally arrived back in Pendalum Village. Lila and Link led Epona and Feather into the stable. Mouser yawned, and curled up on one of the beams holding the roof of the stable up. He was going to take a nap from all the excitement.

The two walked into the inn, where they found Cyrus sitting down. He looked up at them, and smiled kindly.

"Have you found the mirror?" He asked. Lila took out the Mirror of Hearts for him to see. Cyrus stood up, and walked forwards to them.

"Now that you have found the mirror, it will be possible to find the Heart Emblems. Each emblem has a guardian and each guardian has chosen a spot to rest until they are needed. The first of these guardians is Serena, guardian of the Emblem of Gentleness. I don't know where exactly it is, but I know it is located in an open field, where no one has ever gone before." He pointed to their map, to a far part of Hyrule.

"Thank you, Cyrus. We must be getting back to our friends; they'll want to know how we've done." Link marked the field on the map.

"Good luck, you two." The elder nodded, and they turned to leave, but Lila stopped.

"I'll be right out, Link." Though he was confuse, he left her to whatever she needed to do.

"What is it, Lila?" Cyrus asked.

"When we found the mirror…Link tried to pick it up, but it materialized out of his hand, to go back to the pedestal. This little mouse we found, Mouser…he wanted me to hold it. And when I did…I felt something go through me, and mirror didn't leave my grip. Why? Why did it stay with me, and not Link?" She had to know; what did she have that Link didn't?

"Both you and Link have something special about yourselves. The mirror choose you for your special thing. That's not to say Link isn't worthy of holding the mirror, but there's something about you that made the mirror, and Amarie, know that you were the one hold the Mirror of Hearts, and to know that you and Link would save the world from darkness," Cyrus explained to her, eyes twinkling.

"And one more question…we met a woman, Omasa, who said she was the Mistress of the Shadowed Heart. When her eyes landed on me, she said something about knowing we would return. What did she mean?"

"Omasa is an old enemy of Amarie, and she failed at her first attempt to spread darkness over the world. She was locked away in the Shadowed Heart, but she found a way to come back, and is trying to spread the darkness over the world again. As for why she said that…the reason will be clear in due time, Lila. For now, you must be brave, and trust in your abilities, but remember; hold those you care about close, and never let them go."

"…Thank you, Cyrus." Lila finally let go of things, and smiled. Bowing her head, she walked off. Link would be waiting for her.

Cyrus watched her go, sighing after she left. Lila and Link were both special, but were they prepared for this?

* * *

Lila mounted Feather, putting Mouser in her bag so he would be safe. Link and Epona already moved onward. Feather whinnied, worried for her mistress; she had been fairly silent lately. She refused to move on unless she knew Lila was alright.

"Oh, it's nothing; I'm just thinking, that's all, girl." Lila scratched her behind the ear, reassuring Feather.

Satisfied, Feather galloped on to catch up to Link and Epona. Mouser woke up, and peaked out of his bag at the scenery. He crawled out and perched onto Feather's head, looking around. He rested there quietly, just watching the clouds as they floated by, or sped by, rather. Feather wasn't kidding when she said she ran pretty fast.

Finally, she slowed down to a trot, and turned to see Lila dismounting her in a hurry. They were in front of Castle Town's entrance, but there was someone there. Link was dismounting Epona was well, but wondered where Lila was running off too.

"Merali! Alice!" She yelled. A young girl with black hair looked up from the brown fox she was petting. Her baby blue eyes sparkled, and she ran over to hug Lila. The fox yipped, and danced at their feet.

"Who's this, Li?" Link asked.

"Link, this is Merali, the girl I mentioned before. She and I are like sisters." Lila introduced her to him. Merali waved, smiling. She clapped her hands three times, and the fox that was with her sat at her side obediently.

"This is her pet fox, Alice." Merali bent down to Alice, and pointed to Link, then put her fingers together and pointed to Lila. Alice, understanding this, went over to Link, and rubbed his leg affectionately. Link bent down to pet her, smiling.

"Meri, where's Sam?" Lila then turned to look at her, and pointed inside the gates. Then she crossed her arms and tapped her foot twice.

"He's waiting for us? Well, we should fill you both in on the news. Do you want Alice to come with you?"

The girl shook her head, and pointed to Alice, Feather, Epona, and Mouser, who all seemed to be deep in conversation. They looked up momentarily at them. She linked her fingers like they were holding hands again.

"I understand. Be good, alright?" Lila turned to them. The animals all gave their answers of promising to behave while their owners were gone.

"Come on, guys; they won't wait any longer!"

* * *

_This chapter wasn't as hard to write as I expected…*Happy dances at how well she did this*_

_Anyways, this chapter was supposed to be longer, but I felt it was going to get too long, so I'm cutting this one in half. But, we introduced the main villain of the story, so I guess that's enough of a chapter for you guys._

_*Zant is shuffling around and dancing* Oh, Zant…_

_And now, for new character introductions!_

_Omasa- Brown hair in a ponytail and icy-blue eyes. Red leotard and a skirt with a white band at the waist, layered in red, orange, and white. A cross pattern of red ribbon goes from her knees all the way down to her red heels. White arm length gloves and a red cape. Golden tiara with a red heart in the middle._

_Merali- Black hair that reaches her shoulders and baby blue eyes. Wears a close-fitting green shirt that almost reaches her knees, and a belt at her waist so it's like a dress. She wears orange pants on under it and black shoes. _

_Alice- Brown female fox with black stripe going down her back._

_And I forgot to add Sam's, so here he is!_

_Sam- Sandy blonde hair that's slightly spiky, and brown eyes. He wears a white shirt under a red vest-top and black pants with brown-gray boots._

_So, a lot of characters introduced here. Next time, they will head into town, but they'll be met with some devastating news…Until then, guys!_

_*Runs off with Zant and Lila to chase Ganondorf*_


	5. Devastation

_Hey guys, I'm updating again, and it's not an April Fool's Day joke! Remember when I said we'd here some devastating news? Well, here, we will learn what that meant…_

**Blood-of-Silver: **_Remember when you said you'd like to see her past in the story? Well, I think you'll be happy with what I did here…_

**ClarkyGirl:**_ We shall see…And, he didn't miss out on being the hero; he gave the chance to Lila because he couldn't hold the mirror himself. But yeah, Mouser's cool. *Mouser has on shades* INDIANA LILA AND THE MIRROR OF HEARTS! XD_

**Conjuring Rain:**_ Glad you're enjoying it so far! *Hugs*_

_Well, here's the next chapter for you, guys!_

* * *

The three walked into Castle Town's marketplace. Merali ran on ahead, the bustling and busy streets and the lovely stands catching her attention everywhere she looked. There was a violin playing, and she ran around to find the person playing it. That left Link the time he needed to ask Lila about Merali.

"So, why can't Merali talk?" Link asked.

"She was born mute. Sam and I taught her how to say what she needed to say through hand gestures, and sound effects, so that's why I understood what she was saying."

Merali ran back to them, and started pulling them along again. She made herself look like she was buying something. Lila immediately understood what she meant; the Marketplace. After Merali saw she knew what she was trying to tell them, she acted like she was playing a violin.

"Sam's here at the Marketplace, playing his violin?" Lila asked. Merali nodded.

"We better not keep them waiting," Link said, but they were stopped when they heard a yell for everyone to gather. Sam ran over to them.

"What's going on?" Lila asked.

"I don't know. I was going to find out," he replied.

"Let's get a close look," Link suggested. The four of them followed the flow of the crowd to the square, where someone was speaking.

"The princess has fallen ill! Princess Zelda has fallen ill!" They yelled. Gasps and shock rippled through the audience.

"Oh my!"

"How is this possible?"

"Is this true?"

Everyone was murmuring. Merali made a sign with her hands that she was worried by folding them and holding them to her chest. She was frowning.

"Can't anyone help her?" A man asked.

"We have tried all doctors, but nothing has worked. If anyone knows a cure, anything at all, please speak up now!" The crier called out to anyone. But no one moved; they had no idea how to cure the princess from her illness.

Well, everyone in the crowd was now worried and distressed. Lila led them out of the crowd and to Telma's Bar, where the rest of the gang was waiting for them. They turned to the door as they walked in from the crowd.

"What did you all find?" Telma was the first to ask them. Lila took out the Mirror of Hearts, holding it up for them to see. She and Link took turns explaining the whole story to them. Once they were finished, everyone was surprised. Merali took out a piece of paper, and a pen, and wrote something down. She held it up for them to see.

_An adventure filled with danger and mystery! Oh, that sound so exciting!_

Even if she was mute and couldn't speak, everyone could hear the excitement and happiness in her tiny little squeals. She didn't need to write down anything for them to know she loved the thrill of an adventure. Lila ruffled her hair, giggling.

"Yes, and maybe you'll be able to help us. All of you." She scanned the room, looking at them.

"But what about the princess?" Sam asked. He was worried for her health.

"Li, there has to be an herb combination that can cure her, isn't there?" Shad asked.

"That's the thing; I don't know. I'd have to see the princess to know her condition." Lila shook her head. Merali wrote something else down, and held it up.

_How about we ask to see Her Highness?_

"Merali…" Sam sighed and shook his head. She crossed her arms and stomped her foot, glaring; she was clearly annoyed.

"Sam, Meri may be on to something." Lila stopped the two from arguing. Merali smiled, and stuck her tongue out at Sam.

"…Come on, you three. I can take you too see her." Link remembered how much he owed the princess; the least he could do was help her. Merali clapped her hands, and this needed no explanation.

* * *

Link watched as the guards in front of the gates to the castle led another doctor out. Lila, Sam and Merali watched as well. A twinge of doubt struck Lila; if even the best doctors in Hyrule couldn't cure the princess, then would she fail as well? Would her herb knowledge not save her this time? It was too late to turn back; they were already walking towards the gate. Two castle guards turned to them, and realized who Link was.

"Link; such a pleasure to see you again." One of the guards smiled. He looked at the other three.

"Who are they?" He asked.

"These are three of my friends, Sam, Lila, and Merali. We'd like to see the princess," Link explained, after introducing the three to the guards.

"Come, then." The two opened the gates, and led them to through the castle grounds and into the castle.

"Through here is Her Highness. She will be most happy to see you." The guard who spoke to them earlier left, with the other one following. Link entered the room, and there, laying on a bed, was Princess Zelda.

"Your Highness." He bowed. She smiled at seeing him.

"Link, it is wonderful to see you." She was interrupted by a fit of coughing. Once it dispersed, she sat up slightly. Link signaled for the other three to come forward. They shyly walked up, and Zelda smiled.

"And who are you three?" She asked.

"Sam, Your Highness." Sam bowed to her.

"Lila, Your Highness. But, you may call me Li if that is what you desire." Lila curtsied. Merali, having no ways of communicating, took out a note pad, wrote something, and gave it to Zelda before bowing as well.

_Merali, Your Highness. Forgive me for my silence; I'm mute and have no ways of speaking._

"You've nothing to be sorry for, Merali." Zelda chuckled slightly; being mute was human nature, in her eyes. The three rose up after they were told to do so.

"We've something to tell you, as well." Link launched into the story of meeting Lila and going on the journey to find the Heart Emblems. Lila, once again, held up the Mirror of Hearts.

"I've heard of them, but in my current state, I cannot aid you on your journey. I'm sorry." She had another coughing fit, and no one could do anything. Something clicked in Lila's mind, and it was like someone else told her what to say.

"Your Highness, I think I know an herb mixture that may help you. The problem is, the berries that I need for it don't grow here. They grow somewhere far off, close to where Link and I are going to next." Lila spoke up.

"Will you be able to get it in time, though?" Sam asked.

"We will; I'm sure of it," Lila nodded. Merali gave her a confused look, and secretly, Lila mouthed something to her.

_I'll tell you later._

Merali, understanding the urgency, pushed a few strands of hair out her face, when in reality she was giving Lila a nod.

"We must be going, and we will not fail you, Your Highness." Link bowed once again, but this time, the other three did it in sync with him. Before they left, Merali turned to the princess, and took out a harp. She strummed it a bit, and gave a hopeful look, smiling.

"She's asking if you would like her to play you a song," Sam translated. Zelda smiled.

"It would be wonderful."

Taking that as her cue, Merali slowly began to play a quiet and gentle lullaby. Merali hummed in time with her music; just to make sure she knew which notes to play. As soon as Merali was finished playing, she found the princess asleep. Bowing once more, she left along with the rest of them.

Link watched as Merali walked, as if none of that had ever happened. Now, he understood what Lila meant when she said Merali took the stage with her harp.

* * *

"So, what on her condition?"

"Not very well, but it's not too bad."

Sam and Merali knew Lila too well to even believe her one second. She was using her 'I don't want to give you the bad news' voice, and that usually meant something was very wrong. They said nothing, knowing she'd end up telling them later.

"How far will you have to journey to find the herb?" Aaru asked.

"Far." Link set out the map for them to look out. Lila pointed to where she marked the first Heart Emblem's place. Merali wrote something down, and held it up.

_That…that looks kind of familiar…_

Merali tried to remember where she had seen it before. A melody filled her head as images flashed before her. There was a girl on the beach, playing a flute. She was barefoot, in a white dress. She turned around, and Merali was about to see who it was, before Telma broke her train of thought.

"Familiar? You haven't been there, have you?" Telma asked.

"You're right; it just looks like another place we knew about," Lila agreed. Merali dropped the subject, and continued to speak with them, or at least add her thoughts by writing.

* * *

Feather, Epona, Mouser, and Alice were sharing a calm and funny conversation over stories from their own lives. It was now Feather's turn to tell a story.

"(Well, Lila and I were out riding one day, just for the fun of it, when a Hyrule Castle guard stopped to speak with Lila. It turns out he was a friend of Sam's. Well, I could say his stallion wasn't one to give up. Though, I did have fun annoying him.)" They started laughing at her last statement.

Alice lifted her head suddenly, to hear the calls of their mistresses and masters. She barked, and ran into Merali's outstretched arms. The other girl rubbed her fox on the head. Feather and Epona pranced around Lila and Link. Mouser jumped on Sam's shoulder, nibbling on his ear. Sam laughed and let Mouser rest in his hands.

"This is Mouser, Sam. We found him in Cordia Sanctuary," Lila explained.

"Well, he's certainly energetic. But, on the princess' condition, what's the problem?" Sam asked. Lila sighed.

"It's worse than I thought. If she fell ill that quickly, then something was wrong. So, as we were speaking, I started to think of what it might be, and it hit me; Sand Fever. It's extremely rare; to my knowledge, only three cases have ever been reported, the princess included. Sand Fever's cure are those berries I told you about, but they're hard to obtain from what I've heard. I don't know if we'll actually make it back in time." She sighed.

Merali, who still had a note pad with her, wrote something and gave it to her.

_Don't worry; Sam and I will watch over the princess. You'll be able to get those berries with no problem!_

"Meri's right. We'll be able to get back in time." Link agreed with Merali's statement. Merali wrote something else down.

_We should be heading home._

Merali was right; the sun was high in the sky, but it would be setting soon. Lila mounted Feather's back, Merali getting on behind her. Mouser jumped onto Feather's head. Alice sat beside Feather, waiting for them to move out.

"We'll see you later, Sam." Lila waved at him as he walked back into Castle Town. He waved back at them.

"Good luck!" He called as they rode away.

* * *

Link led them into Ordon Village. Lila and Merali dismounted Feather as they stopped. Mouser jumped onto Merali's shoulder, who scratched his head with her finger. Alice barked, looking up at Merali. She bent down to pet the fox, smiling as the two animals enjoyed her attention.

"Come on, I'll lead you to the stable." Link turned to Lila. She gently pulled Feather along, leading her behind Link and Epona. Once they were at the stable, she took Feather's saddle off, and put it away. Link was about to take Epona's saddle off, when they heard someone clear their throat.

"Link, would you mind explaining to me why you didn't come home right away?"

Epona nudged Feather, and jerked her head towards Ilia. Feather gave a snort that translated into a giggle. Lila turned to them, smiling a little, but she turned her attention to Ilia and Link.

"It's a long story." Link was saying, sighing.

"Well, you better start explaining!" Ilia snapped.

"Pardon me for interrupting, but I don't think he's to blame. It's destiny's decision to send him on a long adventure." Lila smiled kindly, getting Link out of a mess that shouldn't have to happen.

A few harp strings playing caught their attention. Merali was standing there, Mouser and Alice with her. She had her harp out, and had strummed them so she was allowed to enter. She made a few hand signals, but Link was able to get what she was trying to say to them.

"We might as well explain the whole story to the village." Link must have gotten her point, because she nodded, smiling.

"Alright, then…" Ilia grumbled, walking outside.

Link gave the two girls a thankful look as he walked outside. Lila had stayed behind long enough to give both Epona and Feather apples. Merali let Mouser and Alice stay in the stable where they could rest. Walking outside, Mayor Bo and the rest of the villagers were gathered to see what was going on.

Lila held up the Mirror of Hearts, which had stayed in her bag since they received it. She went on to explain the legend of the Heart Emblems, while Link took over to explain the events that had started it all on their journey.

"You have to leave again?" Bo asked.

"Unfortunately, I have to." Link nodded.

"You better come back safely, do you hear me?" Ilia snapped, meeting him face to face.

"_Sweet Farore! Relax, girl!"_ Merali thought to herself.

"I will, Ilia; I will." Link promised, swallowing. Ilia stormed off again, leaving him to sigh in relief. Lila giggled a little. He turned to give her a half glare, half joking look. She shrugged, and turned to follow Merali around.

* * *

The sun had set, and Link allowed Lila and Merali to stay in his home. He wouldn't let them travel late at night, where it would be easy for them to get hurt.

Merali was sleeping on a set of blankets on the floor, as she chose to do so. Mouser was asleep next to her head. Alice was curled up with them, acting as Mouser and Merali's head-rest. Link was sleeping on his bed, occasionally turning on his side.

The only one not there was Lila.

There was a lone set of blankets on the floor, and there was the neatly folded purple dress Lila wore on the end with a pair of boots and tan leggings. Lila herself was missing, but her bag was open, saying she went in it and left.

In the stable, Feather and Epona were asleep, though Feather was awoken by someone shaking her. She looked to see her mistress picking up her bridle and putting it on her. It was too dark to tell what she was wearing, but Feather knew she was staring at another side of Lila.

Once they were outside, she had a good look of the ginger. Her hair was out of its usual style, instead falling down her back like a waterfall and just touching the ground. She was wearing a white dress that reached below her knees, and she was barefoot.

Lila mounted her horse, though she remembered how dangerous it was to ride with her hair out, as long as it was. She fixed it so it wrapped around herself, staying out of the way. Lila rode her out into a forest clearing, where the moonlight just hit a wide pool of water. Standing by it, she took out a white flute, and the moment it touched her lips, a serene and calming song flowed from her. A few animals gathered around to listen to her play.

Feather swayed her head in time to the music, but she knew the song meant more than just the notes she was playing; even the animals that had gathered knew this. There was a longing; there was someone, or something, she dearly wanted, but for some reason, she couldn't have. Her music spoke the words that she didn't say, and they didn't have to be said.

Animals could understand more than humans.

* * *

The next morning, Alice awoke to the scents of cooking. She got up and stretched. Lila greeted her with a rub on the head and a bowl of berries. Merali and Link were eating breakfast still.

"(Morning, Alice.)" Mouser walked over to her, dragging a strawberry with him.

"(Morning, Mouser!)" Alice greeted him, giving him a tiny nuzzle. She went back to eating her food as he worked at his strawberry.

Lila went outside to wake Epona and Feather, but the two were already awake. She led them outside and brushed their manes, feeding each of them a few apples and going back inside. Mouser and Alice were just finishing their breakfast. Merali got up and pet Alice on the head, smiling. Mouser jumped up onto Link's shoulder.

Feather and Epona were taking a warm up run outside, stretching their legs. Lila called them back, and they saddled them up for the day. Merali climbed onto Feather's back, Lila following after her. Mouser rested on Epona's head.

"Where are we headed first?" Link asked.

"Merali's going to stay with Sam at Castle Town, so I guess we can start there."

They were riding out towards Castle Town. Merali and Alice were going to stay with Sam while Lila was away. Merali was currently strumming her harp in happiness. Alice was keeping up with Feather and Epona; she had learned to keep up with horses after knowing Feather for so long and running with her.

The two slowed down to a trot as they stopped before the gate to the town. Sam was there with another horse, a stallion from what they could tell. The other horse was white with an orange mane. He smiled at them and waved.

"Hey, guys. This is my parents' horse, Lyloné." He introduced the white stallion to them. Lyloné snorted, and pranced around his master.

"I never knew your parents had a horse, Sam. Not with all the sneaking I do." Lila smirked. Sam rolled his eyes, and playfully shoved her.

"We should leave soon, though." She turned back to the matter of her and Link to find the Heart Emblem and to find those berries.

"If we leave now, we can make it to Pendalum Village before sunset," Link nodded.

"Wait!" Lila took out a small pouch, and gave it to Merali.

"If we're not back within three days, give that to Her Highness. It won't cure her completely, but it'll give us another day to get to her." She explained. Merali nodded, not even needing to write something down to speak.

_We'll make sure to keep her alive._

"Good luck, you two!" Sam waved at them as they started off to the village. Link and Lila waved back, smiling. Lyloné whinnied his good-bye to Feather and Epona. They whinnied back, as well as saying it was nice to meet him. Alice and Mouser were the ones to be silent, just staring at each other until neither could see the other.

* * *

_If you want the link to the song Lila was playing, here it is; watch?v=5moTuo-4MKU__ (Kingdom Hearts fans...you know why this fits Lila)_

_And now, to introduce…Lyloné! (Pronounced Lie-low-nay)_

_Lyloné: White stallion with a firey orange mane and matching eyes._

_Also, this story will have some pairings; Zelink will be in there, as usual, but I'll also be adding Alice/Mouser. __Yeah. You heard right. I'm going against the laws of physics to make a mouse and a fox fall in love. THIS IS NINTENDO LOGIC._

_Alright, so I'm going to give you guys a guessing game. One of Merali's sentences give you a clue onto where the first emblem is. Ill let you try to figure it out. Tell me in a review your answer! You get a cookie if it's right!_

_Until then, you guys! *Runs off*_


	6. Beachview Temple

…_I'm sorry for the short chapter, and the late update. I was hit with Writer's Block. Please forgive me!_

**ClarkyGirl**: _I'm finally updating! Anyways, keep that scene in mind; it's going to lead up to something very important later on in the story. And Feather has something to do with it. _

**Blood-of-Silver**_: Yup! It's in a temple; and we're going to find out right now what temple that is…_

**ConJuring Rain**_: Well, you have to wait no longer! :D_

_ONWARD__ TO CHAPTER!_

* * *

Pendalum Village was fairly quiet as they arrived there. A few people were out, Cyrus included. The two of them were going to walk around and collect anything they might need before they left. Feather and Epona were left in the stable, Mouser resting atop Feather's head.

"(Do you think we'll encounter Omasa and Umbro again?)" Epona asked.

"(I bet we will; wherever a Heart Emblem is, they won't be to far.)" Feather nodded.

"(The real question is will they stop us from getting those berries to the princess.)" Mouser added.

"(Not while Link's still alive and running. And Lila definitely won't let anyone get in her way.)" They laughed; Epona was right. Once those two set their minds to something, there was no stopping them.

"(Where are we going for the first emblem, anyways?)" Mouser asked. Feather gestured to a map on the wall.

"(I believe we are headed close to the ocean.)" She started, but stopped when she heard someone falling. A little black bird had been flying, and accidently hit his head on the wall.

"(Are you alright?)" She asked.

"(I'm fine, miss. I hope I'm not disturbing you.)" The bird bowed his head apologetically.

"(You're disturbing no one. Though, where are you going in such a hurry?)" Epona asked.

"(I have a message for someone named…Trill, I believe.)" He replied, flying up onto the banisters.

"(You're not too far; if you fly west of here, you'll reach Faron Woods. Look for a little shop, and you'll find Trill there.)" Epona pointed to the map again, as Mouser drew the route for the bird.

"(Ah, thank you! It's urgent that I get this message to him.)" The bird took off again, waving his wings.

"(Until we meet again!)" He called, flying away.

"(Hey, who's Trill?)" Mouser asked.

"(A bird who lives in Faron Woods, just outside of Ordon Village.)" Epona said, and as she finished, Link and Lila came back.

"Come on, you guys; we're headed towards the next temple." Lila said, letting Feather out and jumping onto her back. Link and Epona followed. Mouser took his usual spot on Feather's head.

They started out of the village, and there, Feather and Epona took on a full gallop to the next temple. While they ran, Lila remained silent for a few minutes, focusing her attention out on the vast land before them. It all seemed familiar to her, but she didn't know how.

"Hey, how far are we from the temple?" Link asked. Lila snapped out of her thoughts, and took out the map. Feather slowed down a bit so she could read the map clearly.

"Hmm…well, we're right near High Rock, so…we're not to far from where we need to be." Lila pointed to a giant rock in the fields, where they stopped for a moment to rest. She climbed up to the top of the rock, and looked at the view she had of the field.

"Whoa…it's like being on top of the world." She breathed. Link climbed up to her. Mouser, Feather, and Epona watched them.

"You're right." He nodded.

"Hey, out there! I can see a beach!" Lila pointed to it, excited. Sure enough, there was a beach out in front of them. She could almost imagine hearing the waves crash against the rocks.

"Let's go; we can probably make it before sunset." Link slid down from the rock, and mounted Epona. Lila went after him, and they galloped out to the beach Lila had pointed out to them.

* * *

Merali sat on Lyloné's back, strumming her harp. Unlike everyone else, she wasn't worried about never finding the princess' cure. She was more worried about those who would try to stop Lila and Link from getting the cure. Telma assured her that they couldn't be stopped once they got going; they weren't scared to charge in danger and battle when they had too.

Alice was settled at Lyloné's hooves, resting and slowly falling asleep. She was thinking of her friends out in the great unknown, looking for the Heart Emblems and their guardians. Though, they weren't the only ones she was thinking about…

"(Alice?)" Lyloné called.

"(What?)" She asked. He jerked his head towards a gray and white tom coming their way. Alice got up, stretching and smiled.

"(Spike! What're you doing here?)" She asked.

"(Not with good news, unfortunately. Myself and a few others gathered to see what caused the princess to get sick, and our findings…well, we'll tell you in the alley.)" Spike sighed, lowering his head. Alice looked to Lyloné, who nodded, already understanding.

"(I'll take care of Merali.)" Alice barked her thanks, and barked a goodbye to Merali, who watched them off.

Alice followed Spike into a small alley way, where a few animals who lived in town were gathered.

"(Who here knows what happened to the princess?)" Alice asked. A young, golden tom stepped forward.

"(I do. A few days ago, I had been out at night, looking for scraps, when I saw a mysterious figure moving through the shadows. I had no time to warn anyone else, so I followed them. They snuck past the guards and planted something in the garden.)"

"(Did you see anyone with the figure?)"

"(I didn't see anyone else, but the next day, when I sensed something was wrong, I went up to see if anything had happened. That's when I found the guards taking the princess to her room. I could smell the illness.)"

"(Did you get a petal from the flowers? Or could it harm animals, as well?)" Alice asked.

"(We weren't able to get a petal from it; we didn't know for sure if it could harm us or not.)" Spike answered. Alice paced around. With Feather, Epona, and Mouser gone, there was no one else she could turn to for help…

…Except for one.

"(Don't let any animals onto the castle grounds until I come back.)" Alice called as she ran out of the alley, and into the streets. There was only one other who would know exactly what she needed to know.

* * *

It was just about sunset by the time Lila and Link reached the coast. Lila slid off of Feather, and took out the mirror. It was glowing brightly; they were right where the first Heart Emblem was.

"Look over there." Link pointed to a cave. They couldn't see very far down it. Feather and Epona stopped in front of it; they couldn't go in with them.

Mouser jumped onto Lila's shoulder and Link led them inside. He took out his lantern, lighting the way for them.

As they entered the dark cavern, Lila heard a splash, and realized they were in water. Link stopped, looking around. There was a wall, but the water seemed to be deeper than they thought. Link was about to dive in, when he remembered Lila didn't have any means of breathing underwater, as he had the Zora Armour.

"Mouser, how long can you stay underwater?" He heard her speaking to the mouse. He shook his head; not very long.

"There's got to be something…" She looked around, and after a moment, she kneeled down into the water, not caring how uncomfortable it felt; if she was going to be getting wet, she might as well get used to it.

"What're you looking for?" He asked.

"Water Berries; they say if you eat one, it'll allow you to breath underwater." She replied. Lila fumbled with a few vines until she finally felt a few round berries rolling around in her palm. She picked them up, and took a small pouch, filling it, and leaving out two of them. Mouser picked one up, sniffed it, and stuck his tongue out.

"I know, they smell weird, and I've read they taste kind of sour. But, if you don't want to drown, you might as well eat it." She said, popping hers into her mouth. Mouser closed his eyes and ate it quickly, hoping not to taste the sourness. He made a face, but recovered himself and squeaked his confirmation; he was ready.

Link dived down, and found that he was right; there was a cavern underwater that they had to go through. Lila dived down after him, Mouser safely in her bag. They swam through the water, observing the wildlife down there. Fish swam by as they traversed through.

They finally swam through the deep cavern, and found a place to resurface. Lila shook her head, and pushed the hair out of her face. They got out of the water, and looked around. The room was a bit confusing. There was a door above them, but it was locked, and it looked like there was a key needed. There were five different doors, each with a different sign on it. Leading to the locked door, there was a walkway, to high up for them to just jump to.

"Where do we go, now? It looks like a huge maze in here!" Lila crossed her arms.

"I think we'd need to find a map for here." Link replied. Lila gave her hair one last twist to dry it out, and followed him up the center of the five doors. It was almost as if the doors were telling them which to go through, and which not to go through. Mouser poked his head out, and jumped down, squeaking.

"Mouser, scout the area out; see if you can find anything to help us." Lila bent down to him. He ran off, and sniffed at each and every corner, and crawled through every crack in the wall. The other two did the same, though they looked in the places they could reach. About an hour later, Mouser came back.

"What did you find?" Link asked. Mouser pointed to the door on the east; he went through that one, and found a treasure chest.

"Good job, Mouser." Lila scratched his head affectionately. They walked over to the door Mouser pointed to. Link pushed it open. Lila felt it was strangely silent, and looked around.

It was _too _silent.

"Link, something about this doesn't seem right…"

"I know-wait, I think there's someone moving around over there." Link pointed to shadow on the wall. They hid away as Lila looked for something she could use to throw at them; her whip wouldn't reach a long range like that.

"Lila, here." Link gave her his slingshot. The shadow disappeared to reveal a bokoblin, an archer at that.

"Distract him; I'll go up and get him." He whispered. She nodded, and aimed for the bokoblin. Though, the shot hit the wall, he looked around, looking for the source. She shot again, this time to make it look like it came from somewhere else to cover up her mistake. Link was slowly advancing up to the top, where the bokoblin was.

She decided to shot right at the monster, so he would be confused. The bullet hit his stomach. It doubled over in pain, and she had to suppress a giggle at the way it fell over. For ugly looking creatures, they were fun to mess with. While it was distracted, Link had slit its throat with his sword, watching it fall to the floor and explode into ash.

"All clear, Li!" Link called back. She came out of hiding and followed him down a passageway. The next room had two bokoblins, but once one of them saw the trio, they blew a horn and called in ten others. The doors locked up, and they were surrounded, three against twelve.

"Just when you thought it was safe…" Lila growled, taking out her whip. They divided them up; Lila would take four, Link would take another four, and Mouser would take the last four.

The bokoblins Mouser took on were looking around like confused idiots, trying to find their target. In their confusion, the cinnamon mouse had clawed, bit, and scratched them, and it was too late once they realized what he was doing. He jumped onto the shoulder of one of the, and sliced its throat. It fell over, defeated. The others met the same fate as their companion. Mouser squeaked his triumph over them.

Meanwhile, Lila threw one of them into the other three. They got up and surrounded her, but this proved to be a bad choice, because each of them received a gash in the stomach, and that was their demise.

While this was going on, Link took them on one by one. Some tried to sneak up on him from behind, but he used a spin attack on them. Once the final one saw it was alone, it tried to run. Link shot it with an arrow, and it fell like its clan.

"You know, for tough fighters, they're really dense." Lila commented.

"So I've learned." Link agreed. The doors reopened, including a treasure chest. Lila opened it, and took out a piece of paper; a map.

"Well, now we'll know where to go." They walked back out to the main room, where the five doorways were.

"Okay, so the room we just came from was the room we were supposed to go through first, the door with the symbol of the harp. The next area…well, it says second, to find a door with the symbol of a diamond." She looked at the doors, and the one on their right held the exact symbol…

…Except for the fact there was another one exactly like it.

"Okay…I don't think this will be a cakewalk." She sighed, walking up to the doors. There were two knight statues between the doors. They came alive, and blocked each door.

"We are the servants Gaurdian Serena chose to protect her emblem from any harm. Now that the darkness has threatened us, we are the ones who protect these doors." The one on the left said.

"To prove you are here to protect her emblem, present the Mirror of Hearts." The one on the right followed. Lila took it out, and held it up for them to see. They nodded, recognizing their good intentions.

"One door leads to the next room. The other leads you to a fate most unwanted. Only one of us tells the truth of what lies behind our door." The left one explained their riddle.

"Which one of you is the honest?" Link asked.

"I am the honest." They both said. Lila stared between the two of them, then remembered something important; everyone has an action they do when they lie.

"Link, watch their expressions; it might give us a hint on who's lying." She whispered to him, so the statues couldn't hear. She turned back to them.

"We'll ask again; which of you the honest?" She asked, making direct eye contact.

"I am the honest one." There; the right one twitched, and didn't even look back at her.

"Which of you is the liar?" Link stepped in.

"I am not the liar." The right one didn't make eye contact with him. Lila walked up to him.

"I'll ask you once more; are you the honest?" The one on the left stayed silent, knowing he wasn't being asked.

"I am the honest." He didn't make eye contact again, and his hand twitched.

"No, you are the liar." She replied, stepping back. The one on the left moved aside.

"You are wise, and you have solved our puzzle. You may now pass through." With that, the two statues stopped moving, and not another word was said by them.

Lila opened the door, and they walked through, into the next room. Mouser yawned, and fell asleep on her shoulder. Link looked around; it was empty, and it was probably night by now.

"We should stop to rest; we'll be able to keep looking tomorrow." He suggested. He found an alcove, and climbed up into it, helping Lila up while not waking Mouser.

They slowly drifted to sleep once they were comfortable, without the worry of someone going to attack them. This ended the first day they had to find the princess' cure.

* * *

_So, for those of you who got it right, yes, I made them go to a water temple. Sounds fun, right? *Sarcasm*_

_You know what? Let's get something out of the way; any scene where Lila, Merali, and Sam have a memory lapse, or any scene involving them and just about no one else, keep that scene in mind. I promise, it'll lead up to something drastic._

_Anyways, yeah, there was no real Epona-Feather side to this story. Don't worry, though; the next chapters will have them as MANE characters! *Is shot for pun* Am I doing it right, Chuggaaconroy? _

_Let me stop before I drown you all in puns. So, next time, we'll go through the next days of getting the cure for the princess, and maybe we'll find out where Alice ran off too…See you guys then!_


	7. Memory

_I __HATE__ Writer's Block. That's all I have to say right now. -_-'_

**Blueberryblitz19**- _Yes, there will be Zelink. Also, thanks! :D *Gives cookie*_

**Conjuring Rain**- _Thanks, Rain! *Hugs*_

**ClarkyGirl**- _No guts, no glory is right! Though, she actually will get a moment in the story where…I won't spoil it~ ;) Yeah, puns are hilarious! (I watch to much Chuggaaconroy~ Oh well!) But it wouldn't have been as cool! *Kitten eyes XD*_

_Alright, as I promised, here's your chapter! By the way, does anyone have Animal Crossing: new Leaf? If so, we can exchange friend codes and visit each other's towns!_

* * *

_A little girl was playing on the beach near the water. She was twirling around with a crown of seashells on her head. A filly followed her, galloping along the beach._

"_I'm the Princess of the Ocean!" she screamed out to no one in particular. She giggled, and ran after the filly._

"_Time to come in!" A woman's voice rang out. _

"_Coming, mom!" she called. The girl ran up a hill, making sure every few steps the filly had been following her._

"_How was your adventure?" the woman asked._

"_It was amazing!" the girl squealed, hugging her horse around her neck. _

"_I'm glad, sweetheart!"_

_The scene changed. There was an abandoned village. All the houses were on fire. In the middle of it all…_

_Was the crown the girl had been wearing._

* * *

Lila shot awake, panting. Her heart pounded in her chest as she looked around. Link was sleeping against a wall. Mouser was in her bag. She sighed, and realized it was still early. She remembered the dream. That was her when she was five; Feather had been born, although she was nameless then. A few months after that, everything was a blur.

"_Did a fire actually burn…no, Sam's parents told us that we left because we were in search of a new land. We traveled where the ocean took us, and then…"_

And then what? She couldn't remember. She could never remember. Forgetting all about the dream, she decided to wake the others.

"Link, wake up." She shook him awake. He yawned, and smiled over at her.

"Morning, Li." Mouser was awoken by their chatter, and stretched. He jumped onto Lila's shoulders, ready to go. They climbed down from the alcove they rested in, and continued their way on.

There was an underwater passage to go through. Mouser and Lila followed Link down, after taking another of the berries Lila had collected. It was silent between them, and Link felt that she had been too quiet ever since they had gotten up and left. A few jellyfish were in front of them. Once they stopped using their discharge attack, he claw-shot at them, taking out their power source, and thus killing them.

They resurfaced, and found themselves in front of two paths. Both looks like they lead to something important.

"Let's split up," Link suggested. "I'll take the left path; you head down the right. If something happens, we yell out and run."

"Alright, then," Lila agreed, and began to take the right path without another word.

* * *

Alice ran through the town, sniffing around until she found who she was looking for. So far, though, she had no luck.

"(Great; just when you need him, he's nowhere to be found. I should have gone straight to Louise…)"

"(Alice!)"

She turned around, and glared at a brown colored tomcat, apparently angry with him.

"(Yarrow! Where have you been?)" The tom sat down in front of her as she spoke.

"(I was out hunting for some scraps. What do you need?)" he asked.

"(What do you know about Sand Fever? How can it happen to someone?)" She got straight to the point with it.

"(Why do you need to know?)"

"(A mysterious flower was planted in the gardens, and Her Higness is gravely ill,)" Alice explained.

"(Well, from what I know, Sand Fever can be caused by a flower that only grows in a certain part of the world. Animals aren't affected by their scent; in fact we welcome it. Only humans can be harmed by it.)"

"(But, she never had those flowers in the first place; otherwise, she would have been sick before.)"

"(That means…someone had one of these flowers. It only takes one sniff for the victim to fall ill. Luckily for us, they caught it in time, and the medicine they gave her won't fully heal her, but it'l keep the sickness at bay.)"

"(Lila, Link, Feather, Epona, and their friend Mouser all went to find the cure for the princess. In the meantime, one of the alley cats said he saw a figure plant this flower late at night, sneaking past the guards.)"

"(Hmm…this figure wants the princess dead. The question is, why?)" Yarrow paced about.

"(We might as well be on our guard. Tell everyone to let no animal to young to leave their parents out of their sight when the sun sets,)" she instructed, beginning to walk off.

"(Where are you going?)" he asked.

"(Back to Merali and Lyloné; we'll be keeping watch over the town.)"

* * *

Lila walked through a few puddle of water as she trekked down her path. Mouser was busy scouting out for anything they could use. He, so far, had found a key. She had put it around her neck for when she needed it.

"Hey, Mouser, do you ever get the feeling you're being watched?" she suddenly asked him, looking behind her. Mouser nodded his head. He felt someone was watching them.

"I don't think me screaming my head off for help and running away is going to work like planned." She took out her whip, waiting for anything to jump out and attack her.

They continued to walk, and every step, Lila was beginning to believe someone was actually watching or following them. They finally reached the end of the path, a large and spacious room, where there was a chest that needed a key just like the one Mouser found for them.

"Maybe it was all in my head…"

She began to fiddle with the lock, using the key to open it. She heard a click sound, and smiled in triumph; it was open. She was about to lift the lid, when she heard a monster behind her, and spotted a bokoblin, albeit a small one, maybe around Merali's height. He was colored green, unlike the rest of them.

She would have attacked, but she saw that he was wounded, badly, and the way his eyes were dulled, she couldn't bring herself to hurt him anymore. She lifted his smock slightly to see a deep gash in his stomach. Mouser jumped off her shoulder, and saluted to her; he knew she'd want to help.

"Mouser, hunt around for this herb." She showed him a picture of aloe. He ran off, sniffing about.

Meanwhile, she kept him awake, knowing if he fell asleep, he may never wake up again. She stroked his head, and kept speaking to him, letting him toy with her hair to keep him interested and awake.

Finally, Mouser came back with the aloe. She took out the bandages she and Link had bought before leaving. After applying the aloe, she wrapped up the wound.

"There; you should be okay, now," she whispered. He garbled a small 'thank you'.

"Wait here. Mouser, watch him for me." Lila got up, and went back to the chest, opening it. Inside was a bow and a quiver of arrows.

"Now, I wonder why these would be in here…" She inspected the bow. It was brown with a vine like design carved into it, and strong.

She strapped the quiver to her hip, and thought she might as well take them; they might come in handy for her later. Link could teach her how to use it properly.

"I never asked, but…what's your name?" She turned back to the bokoblin, smiling.

He took her hand, and drew something in the ground.

"G…L…oh! Glade, is that it?"

He nodded.

"Well, my name's Lila, Li for short, and this is Mouser. We're on a quest with Link to save the world from Omasa before she uses the Heart Emblems to take over the world."

Glade cowered at the mention of the evil mistress. Lila took note of it, and frowned.

"Aren't you a minion of her?"

He shook his head, and using the dagger he had with him, drew a word in the floor.

_Runaway._

"You ran away from her? Why?"

He gestured to his arms, and she saw the bandages. There was blood seeping through them. She carefully unwrapped one, and flinched when she saw all of the scars on him arms. Some were reopened, and others looked like they were infected.

"She…she did this to you?" As she asked this, she was already cleaning the wounds of infections, and wrapping them with clean bandages.

He drew out a few other words one she was finished.

_No. Others. They hurt me._

Lila didn't say a thing. She never knew that other bokoblins could be so cruel to the smallest and the weakest. She had to do something for him, but what could she do? They stayed to rest for a while, with her cleaning his shirt and drying it out for him, until Glade was positive he could get up and move around on his own.

"Hey, how about you stick with us for a while? I'm sure Link wouldn't mind," she suggested. He gave her a look that seemed to ask if she was truly being serious. She smiled and nodded; she was serious.

They were walking back to where Lila had come from. After a while of walking, Lila still had the sensation she was being followed, and kept looking around them.

"Well, we made it this far without much trouble…"

There was a growl of anger behind her.

"…I always seem to speak too soon." Lila whirled around to see at a serpent-like monster three times her size. She pulled out her whip, and lashed it out at the serpent, catching one of its eyes and blinding him in one eyes. Mouser jumped down and did the same to the other eyes, so it couldn't see them.

While it thrashed about in pain, she took this chance to run. Glade was pulled along. They finally got away, tripping over each other and falling to the ground.

"While that didn't go according to plan, it was smart, wasn't it?" Lila asked, trying to put some spirit back into Glade. He gave a small laugh at her attempt to be humorous.

"Lila?" Link was calling for her. She brushed her dress off, and smiled a weary smile at Link. Glade hid behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Who's that, Li?" Link looked behind her, giving a questionable glance to Glade.

"Link, this is Glade. He found us while we were searching for anything down this path, but we only found this bow and set of arrows. I let him follow us since he had no where else to go, and…well, a giant serpent chased us down the path. Mouser and I blinded it before running away." There was more to the story, but that could wait until Glade fell asleep.

Glade gave Link a pair of puppy dog eyes; they were a deep, yet calming blue, almost like the night sky itself. He was too playful and gentle to be harmful to them.

"Alright, you three; let's go before that things comes back." He led them away, and back to the main room.

"Oh, and by the way, I found these two stones." Link showed them a heart shaped stone, and a stone shaped to be a tear drop.

"Huh…I wonder how those will work for us," Lila thought aloud as they walked back into the main room. She looked in her book again, and read through after the two guards.

"It says here we need to go through the door that has the symbol of a heart."

The door to the south was the correct one. Link placed one of the stones into it, and it was unlocked. They walked into a room with a large gap.

"We either claw shot across, or we swing across," Link said. He took out his claw-shots, and went across, dropping down carefully.

"The perfect moment to test out what he said." Lila aimed her whip so it hooked around a pole that was there. Taking Glade's hand, she swung across with him. They landed safely, and she pulled her whip back.

"Now, that's what I call a perfect swing."

* * *

Feather was restless, as was Epona. It had been a day since the others went into the temple. Feather looked around, and remembered how she and Lila, when they were younger, would run along the shore line until sunset, when Lila's mother would call them in for dinner. That was before they left their home.

"(They've been gone for quite a while. I'm not surprised; Link always did the same before.)" Epona was reminded of almost half a year before, when they were on a quest to save the world from Ganondorf.

"(Hey, Epona; have you ever ran around the beach without a care in the world?)" Feather asked out of the blue.

"(Well…no, not really. I've ran around in the fields, and the forest, but never on the beach.)"

"(Then, how about we go for a run? We won't go to far; just to stretch out for a little.)" Feather suggested, getting up.

"(I don't think that would be a bad idea.)" Epona got up as well, grinning.

They dashed off across the beach, enjoying the fast pace they were running at. The two laughed as they galloped, going a little farther than they intended too. Feather finally slowed down. It had been a long time since she last ran along the beach, although she wished the others were there to enjoy it as well.

"_(I promise, one day, we'll bring them here, and we can run too our heart's content, with no one to stop us.)" _

"(Feather, over there.)" Epona interrupted her train of thought by pointing out a herd of wild horses. They were resting, like they had been running for a while.

The leader of the herd, a light brown stallion with a black mane, looked up when he smelled them approaching. He got up and went to meet the two mares.

"(Who are you?)" he asked.

"(I'm Epona, and this is Feather. We're waiting for our owners.)" Epona introduced them.

"(I am Dust, the leader of my herd here.)" He introduced himself. "(Where are you from?)"

"(From Hyrule; we're on a quest to save the world,)" Feather replied.

"(Did you say Hyrule? Hmm…)" Dust stopped, and continued once again once he realized he never finished his thought. "(We were drove out of our home in Hyrule.)"

"(What? By who?)" Epona asked, surprised.

"(A pack of monsters came and drove us out. Their boars chased us until we were far away from them. Since then, we've been traveling for a few nights, looking for a new home. We chose to rest here until we find another place to live.)"

"(Can't you take back your home? You have to show them that it's your territory!)" Feather tried to put some spirit back in them, but Dust shook his head.

"(I'm afraid we can never go back.)"

"(Dust, a patrol came back.)" A mare, white with black spots and a black mane, walked up to him, nudging him gently.

"(I'll speak with them.)" Dust nodded, and walked off. The mare turned to them, smiling.

"(I'm Shine, Dust's mate. Feather and Epona, was it? Such pretty names…before we were chased out of our home, we've seen you both riding back and forth through Hyrule fields. Something tells me both of you can help us.)"

"(How?)" Epona asked.

"(Dust has lost all hope of ever getting our home back. Please, I beg of you two…put the spirit back into the brave and noble leader we once knew; help us reclaim our territory.)" Shine turned to Dust, who was nosing two little fillies along, back to both their mothers.

"(We will. For now, though, there's a village called Pendalum Village, and the land surrounding it should be enough to support your pack.)" Epona pointed to where the village was. Shine nodded, and went to inform Dust of this.

"(We'll move on tomorrow. Until then, we'll rest here. Are there any objections?)" Dust asked.

"(How do we know we can trust them?)" A black stallion glared at the two mares with hostility in his eyes. Shine turned to him, glaring.

"(Do we have a choice? We were chased out of our home-)"

"(By another horse!)"

"(Another horse? Who was this other horse?)" Dust asked, intervening.

"(It was a red stallion with a black mane,)" the stallion replied.

"(What was his name? Did he tell you anything?)" Feather already had a name in mind, but there could have been another.

"(I and a few others had stayed behind to fight, but he threatened to kill us. We ran away, but I didn't hear his name.)"

"(I heard his name.)" A brilliant golden mare with a white mane got up. "(But first, I want to know something, to clarify it.)"

"(What is it, then?)" Epona asked. The mare turned to Feather, walking up to her.

"(I wish to speak with her. Alone.)" Feather was surprised, but nodded.

"(Come, then. We'll be fine on the other side of the beach.)"

* * *

Once on the far side of the beach, Feather and the mare turned back to each other to speak.

"(My name is Radiance, first of all. I wasn't born in Hyrule, although I don't know where I was born,)" Radiance started, pacing slightly. "(Second, I wanted to know…I've heard about the legend of the three goddess, Din, Nayru, and Farore, but I have a feeling…that they are not the guardians of where I was born. Feather…is it possible for us to come from the same place, wherever that is?)"

"(It's possible, but what does this have to do with anything?)"

"(I knew you'd ask this. I've been hearing about these Heart Emblems, and…I wanted to know if you knew the names of the guardians of the Heart Emblems.)" Radiance bowed her head.

"(I do. Serena, guardian of the Emblem of Gentleness; Ilan, guardian of the Emblem of Honesty; Karis, guardian of the Emblem of Faith; Desire, guardian of the Emblem of Joy; and Reli, guardian of the Emblem of Determination. Their leader is Amarie, mother of all that is love and good.)"

"(And Guardian Serena…she guards this area, does she not?)"

"(She does.)"

"(That stallion…Umbro, he said his name was, said they would find Guardian Serena, and everyone else, whoever "they" are.)"

Feather thought about this for a moment; she was right about it being Umbro, but knowing that there was another who came from where she, Alice, Merali, Sam, and Lila came from…it had to mean something, didn't it?

"(Did you come from a wild horse family?)" Radiance suddenly asked.

"(Radiance, I think all horses come from wild ones of the past.)" Feather thought it was an odd question.

"(No, I mean, do you _know _any family members from a herd?)" The golden mare rephrased her thought.

"(…My grandfather and grandmother, Passion and Thunder, were both wild horses.)"

Radiance nodded. She turned around, and galloped back to her herd, hearing Dust calling for them. Feather couldn't shake the feeling that this wouldn't be their only encounter.

"_(It's been a while since I even spoke of the names Passion and Thunder. To be honest, I never speak of my family,)" _Feather thought as she slowly walked back.

Epona was waiting for her.

"(We should get back; it's sunset.)"

"(Alright, then,)" Feather agreed. They bid farewell to Dust and his herd, and began to make their way back to their original spot.

Feather stopped briefly to stare out at the sea, and smiled; Sam would have loved to paint the sunset here. The way all the colors came together was…indescribable. As she began walking back, she remembered something else.

"_(Huh…Lila's favorite time of day is sunset…I wish she were here to see it.)"_

* * *

_Sweet Farore this took me forever to write, but I wrote it anyways, didn't I? _

_Sorry for the delay, but my updates probably won't be at the beginning pf the month anymore; it'll be when I get the chance to finish the chapter._

_I'm going to say this now; the next chapter will be written much faster since I have some new plot devices to use. *Winks*_

_NEW CHARACTERS!_

_Glade- A green colored bokoblins that wears a purple shirt, and a brown belt. He has dark blue eyes and looks a little more human, being shorter than his own kind. _

_Radiance- A brilliant golden-furred mare with a white mane._

_Shine-_ _A white mare with black spots and a black mane. (Her breed is a Gypsy Vanner)_

_Dust-_ _A light brown stallion with a black mane._

_So, that's it for this chapter. In the next chapter, we will get through the next two days, find out where Dust's herd is living, maybe we'll get to the boss, and we will have a special scene with Merali and Sam's mother cleaning out the attic! A long chapter is in your future!_

_My authoress notes are long, aren't they? *Zant nods* Anyways, let me stop wasting your time. See you…NEXT TIME! *Goes to work on next chapter*_


	8. Hydra

…_Remember when I said I'd update faster? I lied. I know you all have pitchforks and torches for me._

**ClarkyGirl**: _Umbro! You always have something do to with stuff! That idea came to me from the idea Lila was born along the shoreline, so she'd like to ride there. Maybe she does; she always seems to be one step ahead of others…That was my 'meh' as well, but I had no other ideas!_

**Conjuring Rain**: _Tell your brother if he doesn't give you your game, you have a frying pan to hit him with! XD_

_Alright, guys. Now, we will jump into this next chapter, where will get some new, and bad, news…_

* * *

Night had fallen again. The band of adventures had found another small alcove to curl up in. Glade and Mouser were fast asleep. Lila and Link were still awake, discussing something.

"Lila, I know you didn't tell the full story of how you met Glade. Now really, what happened?" Link was asking the story of Glade.

"As I said, he found us, but he was wounded, badly, bleeding from a gash to his stomach. He…he told me others did that to him, and he defected from Omasa. That's when I found the rest of the scars on his arms; he showed them to me."

"I thought you might have attacked on first instinct."

"The thing is, I wanted to; it was the first thought to come to mind. But, I stopped when I saw him. I couldn't leave him to die. My question is why didn't _you _attack him?"

"I was more curious about him than thinking he was a threat; if you trusted him, then I shouldn't have a reason to try and kill him." Link shrugged.

She dwelled on this for a moment, and turned to check on the other two. Glade had curled up like a cat. She giggled slightly, but stopped once another thought crossed her mind.

"Do you think the others will argue against him joining us? I know Feather wouldn't react as badly, but she's a horse, not a human…"

"I'm sure we'll think of something; for now, it's late." Link already saw her beginning to fall asleep. She turned on her side, and yawned.

"Night, Link," she mumbled, just barely audible.

"Night, Lila," Link answered. She didn't say anything again, because she was fast asleep.

* * *

Glade yawned, and looked around, trying to remember where he was. Once the sleep was gone from his eyes, he saw Lila and Mouser still asleep. Then it came back to him; he was travelling with them. Link was awake, and he turned and smiled at Glade.

"Morning, Glade," he greeted. His gaze fell upon Lila, and a smirk formed on his lips. "I have an idea to wake her up. Follow me."

They left the cave they were resting in, and to a pool of water. Link found two small pots, and gave one to Glade. They filled them up with water, and quietly, as so not to give themselves away, snuck up on either side of Lila.

"Hey, Lila~" Link sang out. She opened her eyes, and as soon as she did, she got two full douses of cold water. She practically squealed in surprise, mixing in with the laughter of the other two. Even Mouser, who was awoken, started laughing. She nodded and looked between the two of them, playfully glaring. She knew how this was going to go.

"Well," started Lila, pushing her hair out of her face, "you do know this means war, right?"

"Uh oh…run, Glade!" Link and Glade dashed off while Lila went after them, picking up a pot and trying to splash them back. They engaged in a water fight, forgetting a moment, just for a moment, that they had another task at hand.

"Get back here, Link, and take this like a real hero!"

"You'll have to catch me first!"

And they enjoyed it to the fullest.

* * *

While Sam and his father were working in the Marketplace, Merali and Alice were upstairs with his mother in the attic of their house. They were going to clean it up, since it was dusty and unorganized. Merali tugged on her skirt, question in her eyes.

_Mama, when do you think Link and Lila are going to come back?_

Rysie smiled down at her adopted daughter. Ever since her and Lila's parents had gone missing, Rysie and her husband, Charles, had taken the two girls as their daughters through adoption.

"I'm sure they'll be back soon, Merali."

Rysie picked up a broom, and started to sweep away at the floor. Merali took the duster and skipped off, dusting off everything that was dirty. Alice was chasing out any little creature that had been hiding, acting more like she was a cat than a fox.

Merali was cleaning off a table, when she saw a small key shaped like a flower. Rysie probably needed it, so she wrote a little note saying she found it and left it there so it wouldn't get lost.

Alice whined slightly, appearing at her feet and tugging at her shirt.

_What is it, girl?_

The vixen led her mistress to the back of the attic, near a window, where a large brown chest lay. Merali dusted it off to see it in better detail. It was brown and lined with gold markings of leaves, flowers, and butterflies. She was about to open it, but she saw it needed a key. The flower-shaped one she found came to mind.

_Alice, go get the key off of the table. It's a flower-shaped one._

Alice trotted off for a moment, and gave the key to Merali. It was a perfect fit, and the chest was open.

On the top, there was a smaller box, probably a jewelry box, but she left that aside. The clothing that was there interested her. She started digging around inside of it.

"_None of this could belong to mom or dad," _she thought. _"It doesn't look like it would fit either of them. So whose is it?" _

"Merali? Alice? Where'd you go?" Rysie snapped her out of her thoughts. Alice barked to alert Rysie where they were. She smiled when she saw Merali looking through the chest.

"There you are. I see you've found the old chest Charles made. We stored some old clothing in there that wasn't needed. We thought we might give it to you and Lila, but we never got around to it. There was one set of clothes in particular that were for you…"

Rysie sat beside her, and after a little bit of looking, she pulled out an orange skirt, a shirt with wide, elbow-length sleeves, and a red scarf that tied around her waist.

"Here it is! Why don't you go try it on?" Rysie gave it to Merali. She went downstairs, Alice obediently sitting down and waiting for her to return.

Ten minutes later, Merali found herself staring in the mirror at her reflection. She smiled and twirled around in front of the mirror. The skirt reached near her ankles, but it was just above them. Before she got to caught up in her reflection, she reminded herself she had to show Rysie. Lifting the skirt so she wouldn't trip, she walked upstairs to the attic.

"You look just like your real mother did." Rysie got up, smiling. Merali hugged her, thanking her adoptive mother.

"Now, how about we go show Sam and your father?" Merali was all to eager to say yes, and went downstairs, Alice following her happily.

* * *

Lila, Link, Glade, and Mouser were soaked, but it really didn't matter; they were going through a temple filled with water. Besides, they enjoyed splashing each other for the few moments of fun they had.

"Could you teach me how to use a bow and arrows?" Lila was speaking to Link about the bow and arrows her found, which was still strapped to her hip.

"I can and I will." Link nodded. Glade stopped them and pulled them aside; a chest was at the end of the room, guarded by two bokoblins.

On instinct, Link took out his bow and knocked an arrow, killing one of the two. A dagger pierced the second one through the heart. They looked at Glade, who spun another in his hand. He looked back at them.

_I've got to defend myself one way or another._

Link went to open the chest, pulling out a small key. They went back to the main room. Lila marked off the room they had just left. There were two final rooms. The room they had to go in was marked with the symbol of a tear drop, locked up. They used the key they found to open up the door, and Lila nearly tumbled over when she tripped over a pot that was there. Link caught her in time before she crashed to the ground, as Glade moved the pot that was there so none of them would trip.

"What smart thing thought it was a good idea to put that there?" Lila asked, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

Glade called them over, pointing to an underwater chamber. Lila gave him one of the berries she had picked, and after eating one, he made the same face Mouser did.

"Am I the only one who doesn't find the taste that bad?"

"Probably," Link answered, already diving down. She followed him, Mouser in her bag, Glade close behind them. Lila enjoyed the peaceful scenery under the water while she could. She had never seen more colorful fish than this in her life. It was a shame such a beautiful place was infested by monsters.

While Link and Lila seemed to be enjoying the underwater scenery, Glade was more curious and jittery around it. He never saw fish as vibrant and bright as he did now, and the last time he checked, flowers couldn't grow underwater. For all he was worth, he hoped the wildlife would be okay.

They resurfaced again in a room with a giant draw-bridge like door. It was holding back water, and this gave Lila an idea.

"Link, the temple seems to have less water than it should. What if this door dams all the water? That would explain why we saw such little water in the first place," she said.

"You're right," he agreed. "But how are we going to open this door?"

"Hmm…look up there." Lila pointed to a switch above them that had a rope attached to the door.

"Hey Lila, now would be a good time to learn to use a bow." She turned to him, and took out her bow and an arrow. She watched his use it enough times to know how to knock an arrow.

"Alright, now to aim, you have to aim slightly higher than the target you want to hit because the arrow will start to shoot downwards after a while." He helped her point upwards at the rope, just slightly higher than the rope itself.

"Now, pull your arm back." She pulled her arm that was holding the arrow back, and fired away. The ropes was snapped, and the door was opened. Luckily for them, the water didn't reach up to where they were standing. Now there was a main water way for them to follow. Because the water level was raised, they could now reach a new path they never could before.

* * *

Lyloné was speaking with the town animals, telling them about the night a herd of wild horses had run after being forced to leave their home. Many were surprised; some were even fearful of the town being attacked.

"(I believe,)" Alice started, getting up, "(that this has to do with the princess falling ill all of a sudden. There was a certain flower in her garden that's dangerous to humans, able to make them sick with one sniff.)"

"(But what can we do to stop them?)" Yarrow spoke up, voicing the worries of the others.

"(Wait!)" A messenger bird, a pigeon to be exact, landed by them.

"(Good news; the herd is safe and out of danger. I met a bird named Beat. He said he saw them by a village known as Pendalum Village, but he also warned me about bokoblins headed our way. And these bokoblins aren't rebels; they're under the orders of someone else.)"

"(At this point, the only wise choice we have is to fight against them,)" Lyloné said.

"(It'll be a matter of time before they attack. If my assumptions are correct, they'll attack by tonight, or tomorrow morning. In any case, we have to be prepared.)" Alice stood from where she was sitting.

"(I'll warn Telma and The Resistance.)" Louise ran off back home.

"(I'll tell the palace guard animals.)" The pigeon flew off again.

"(Spike and I will work on finding a place for those not able to battle, whether it be due to age, injury, or nursing children.)" Gengle and Spike led three others to find a place safe for them.

Alice nodded to the other animals; the meeting was over. She turned to Lyloné.

"(When do you think they'll come back?)" she asked.

"(Soon; I'm sure of it.)" Lyloné watched a few dogs trot off into the streets, some of the last to leave.

"(I think I should see to it that Merali and Sam know.)" Alice got up.

"(I'll warn animals near the town. They might be able to help up.)" Lyloné began to trot off. Alice nodded and barked her farewell to him, getting a whinny in reply.

She was near the stall Sam's parents ran, but a dog stopped her, sounding worried.

"(Alice, I think you might want to see this.)" He led her up to the rooftops, and pointed out in the distance. Where the herd of wild horses once was, there was a camp of bokoblins. A rather large one was speaking with another, being given a letter.

"(Does anyone else know?)" she asked.

"(I just found it and went to tell you)"

"(Warn everyone you can!)" Alice dashed off, and to Telma's Bar. She barked loudly, trying to get someone to answer. Shad came to the door and looked down at her.

"What's going on?" he asked. Louise came out.

"(Alice, what in Din's name happened?)"

"(There's no time for me to explain, just yell at them like you never have before!)" Alice continued her barking, while Louise meowed with her. The fox circled the group's feet, and whined.

"I've never seen Alice this upset about something," Sam commented, worried.

"I think she want us to follow her. Come on." Telma allowed Alice to lead them to the highest point they could go. She barked in the direction of the bokoblin camp.

"Aren't the bokoblins on our side? Why would they drive out the herd of horses that was there?" Sam asked.

"Most of them are rebels, but some of them stayed evil. They might have formed their own clan, or are under someone else's orders," Aaru explained. "In any case, we're going to have to tell the castle gaurds."

"I'll go and warn them." Ashei walked off. Alice received a pet on the head and praise from Merali as a reward for showing them.

"(Alice, do you think they're the ones who planted that flower?)" Louise asked.

"(I'm sure they are. And I'm sure that Omasa has something to do with this.)" Alice nodded.

"(Looks like this Omasa person really wants them gone. Question is, what is her quarrel with them?)" Louise asked. That was a question that had been nagging at Alice for a bit. Who exactly was Omasa? And how did she seem to know them?

* * *

Lila just finished using a few bokoblins for targets. She grinned as each of them fell from one of her arrows. Glade retrieved them and any of his daggers that had flown from his hands at them. Link sheathed his sword after killing the last two.

"Alright, there should be something else around here…"

"Link! Glade! Up there!"

Lila pointed up to a few hanging plants. They had small, purple berries growing on them.

"Those are the berries I need!" she cheered. She began to climb up to them, taking out another small pouch and filling it up with the berries.

"Alright! Now all we need to find is the emblem," she said, jumping down. Suddenly, there was a roar, and it Lila dropped the pouch in surprise. Glade tried to catch it, but a bat caught it and flew away before anyone could do anything.

"Hey!" Lila chased after the bat, with Link and Glade after her. They ended up back in the main room, where Lila watched the bat fly up high above them and out of sight.

"Just our luck," she muttered. They stopped their chase for now and continued on through the next room, and the last door, with a symbol of a shell. The room was rather spacious, and their footsteps echoed. The door locked behind them. They were met with the serpent, the one Mouser and Lila blinded.

It slammed its tail down at them, and they just barely got out of the way, running away as it proceeded to chase them around. Link looked around, and spotted the rocks jutting out from the walls, getting an idea.

"Guys! Split up and confuse him!" Despite not getting the point of this, they did as told. The serpent blindly tried to hit any of its targets, not knowing which directions there were coming from since their sounds echoed off of the walls.

"Lila! Get onto its back!" he yelled out to her. He pointed to the rocks. She nodded and used her whip to grab onto one of them. She let it pull her up, and climbed up onto the rock, detaching her whip from it.

The other three had the serpent surrounded, and while it was confused, she jumped down onto its back, and pulled the chain on its neck. The serpent roared and tried to get her off. She shrieked as she was nearly thrown off, but pulled harder. Link shot an arrow at its tail, breaking one of the two rattles on it. The serpent finally threw her off. She fell to the ground, and scrambled back up to her feet.

The serpent started to thrash about and hit them blindly. Sometimes, it came close to getting them, and other times, it missed them completely. Though, because of its thrashing about, that gave the others the disadvantage of trying to distract in case he did hit one of them. They were hiding behind some rock, trying to think of something else to do.

"Now what's the plan of action?" Lila whispered to Link, fearful the serpent heard her.

"I have an idea. The chain drags on the ground. If we can get it just to slither over here, then I could jump onto its back," he replied. She looked over and thought for a moment.

"…Alright. Glade, Mouser, run in circles around him. Keep alternating which way you go so he'll get confuse. Make as much noise as you can. I've got my own idea."

While the other three ran off, Lila started to climb up to an elevated platform. She took out her flute, and hoping for all she was worth that this was going to go as planned, started to play it. Because all of their sounds echoed, the serpent couldn't tell where she was.

Slowly, the serpent began to slither around, and while it did this, Link grabbed onto it's chain and jumped onto its back. The serpent thrashed about wildly once again. Lila ran behind it and broke the other rattle on its tail. Link jumped off as the serpent fell and exploded. The doors reopened, and a chest appeared.

Inside was a giant key, bigger than the ones they had found before. The eye near the top sent shivers down Lila's spine, as if someone was watching them from that eye. They walked back to the main room, and looked up at the giant door with the lock. Link went up first, key in hand. Lila, Mouser, and Glade weren't far behind.

He unlocked the door. They were met with a very spacious room, with nothing in it. The doors locked behind them. The laughter of a woman echoed from the walls. Lila couldn't mistaken the laughter for anyone else.

"Omasa," she spat as the red-clad villainess appeared.

"Surprised, my lovely darling? You shouldn't be, for what is a fairy-tale without the villain?" Omasa's voice had a silky purr to it. Lila bit back a harsh reply; it wasn't worth it.

"What do you want with us, now?" Link asked.

"Now, what would make you ask that? It's obvious I'm after the emblem. But, who would be such a fool to rush right in and take the emblem when you're there to stop them?" Omasa turned behind her, to a door with chains all around it. She broke the chains with her magic, and smiled as there was a roar. Out of the darkness came a four headed dragon. All four heads roared with rage, as Omasa stroked the head of one of them. She turned to the heroes in question.

"Now, you play nice with my darling Hydra!" And with that, she disappeared.

"Oh, we'll definitely play nice," Lila growled, taking out her whip and snapping it. Taking it as a way of saying she wanted to fight it, Hydra roared again, and glared down at them...

* * *

_Authoress' Notes:_

"Get back here, Link, and take this like a real hero!" _My favorite line in the whole chapter to have written. XD_

_YUP, CLIFFHANGER! I AM AN EVIL LITTLE—Hey! *Got hit with a brick by Zant*_

_Alright, alright. So, in this chapter, we got a lot of stuff done, didn't we? Merali got an update on her look, we've found out that Dust and his herd are safe, but, with that, we also found out that the bokoblins and Omasa had something to do with getting the princess sick. _

_Also, some of you should know where I'm going with this boss. And I know you have torches and pitchforks ready for that one, as well._

_So, next chapter, we will get into the boss battle, and then we will go to save the princess and maybe other stuff. See you guys…then!_


End file.
